Untitled Lita Story
by Debwood-1999
Summary: After publicly humiliating Kane during the Wedding From Hell, Lita's husband to be nearly kills her. Follow the story as Lita and Matt try to put their ordeal with Kane behind them and fight for their Happily Ever After.
1. Chapter 1

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: We're going back in time, 2004, during the Kane/Lita pregnancy storyline and the Wedding From Hell. I couldn't stand the thought of a strong woman such as Lita being forced into marriage like that.**

**I don't have a title, so if anyone has any suggestions please send them my way.**

_**Chapter One**_

_Summerslam, Toronto, Ontario_

_08/15/04_

This wasn't supposed to happen.

Matt was supposed to win the match.

They were planning to get married right afterwards and enjoy some alone time together.

Matt was going to raise the baby and love it like it was his own.

Kane would no longer be part of their lives.

But it wasn't to be.

Lita stood in shock at ringside as Kane's music thundered through the arena. The match between Kane and Matt was over, and Matt lay unconscious in the center of the ring following the Big Red Machine's devastating chokeslam.

A heavy pain began to bloom in her chest as she let her mind drift back to when this entire nightmare began:

_Lita and Matt reunited after Matt attacked Kane in an attempt to prevent him from harming Lita during a mixed tag team match. Undeterred, Kane attempted to seduce Lita. However, Kane's idea of 'seduction' included stalking and attacking Matt, kidnapping Lita and tying her up in a rat-infested basement. When that was unsuccessful, Kane began taking out all of Matt's opponents and demanded that Lita sleep with him in exchange for him leaving her and Matt alone. Lita refused, and the attacks continued, as Kane targeted Matt for his assaults. Finally, after Kane attempted to break Matt's neck with a folding chair in the center of the ring, Lita relented._

_It was a disastrous mistake. Kane had no intentions of leaving Lita alone. He had always craved, but never had, a normal life - but realized that there was one that he COULD have, which was offspring. So he coerced Lita into sleeping with him, taking steps to ensure that she WOULD get pregnant._

_And when Lita became pregnant, it sealed her fate._

_Matt had been overjoyed with the idea of becoming a father, and he jumped at the chance to start a family with the woman he loved. He'd even go so far as to buy an engagement ring and planned to propose to Lita on national TV. However, in the middle of his proposal, Kane interrupted him, claiming to be the father of Lita's child, and that Lita had slept with Kane in an attempt to keep Matt safe. Matt was devastated, and Lita knew she had nobody to blame but herself._

_Two months later, it was revealed that Kane was, in fact, the father, and it seemed like the rift between Matt and Lita had grown wider. But, after some hashing out, Matt told Lita that it didn't matter who fathered the baby. He couldn't imagine a monster like Kane being the father of an innocent child. Matt knew that Lita had been backed into a corner, and that the baby shouldn't have to suffer because of it. Matt wanted to marry Lita and be a daddy._

_He and Kane feuded for several months, leading to the "Till Death Do Us Part" match at Summerslam, with the stipulation that Lita would be obliged to marry the winner of the match. Lita, confident that Matt would defeat the Big Red Machine (he had beaten the seven-foot tall monster before!) signed the contract along with Kane and Matt._

_Yet, another mistake. And as Kane pinned Matt for the 1-2-3, Lita felt her world fall to pieces around her once again._

"Oh, no! She can't believe it. I'm sure!" sympathized Jim Ross, shaking his head in disbelief.

Lita tried to choke back the lump in her throat and felt hot, unshed tears prickle her eyes.

"But it's gonna happen. Lita's gonna have to marry Kane!" Jerry Lawler cackled, as Kane leered down at his new bride.

"Look at that sick monster, smiling," JR spat, as Lita staggered numbly down the aisle back to the dressing room. She didn't dare look back. She wanted to at least see if Matt would be alright (EMTs were swarming around him), but she couldn't allow herself to make eye contact with Kane, her new fiancé. "Knowing that he's gonna marry Lita. And there's nothing she can do about it."

Jerry was practically bouncing up and down at the announcer's table. "Oh, this is gonna be great. When do you think the wedding's gonna be, JR?"

"I don't know, King," JR answered.

"What kind of dress do you think she'll wear?"

"I don't know," JR fired back, in disgust.

"Well, she can't wear white," Lawler laughed. "Maybe bright red."

JR shook his head, "Oh, poor Lita! She is absolutely devastated. She's crushed."

"Go back and give your future husband a kiss. Come on!" Lawler said gleefully, as Kane approached Lita. His arms were outstretched, and a sick grin was on his lips.

"The reality of this match, King. The finality of this match is just permeating through Lita's body."

"He's saying, come to Papa, Lita!"

"What a sordid tale," JR sighed as Lita hid her face in her hands. The tears were beginning to slide down her cheeks as she fled to the safety of the backstage.

Lawler didn't know when to stop. "Here comes the bride," he sang. "Er, here goes the bride."

"What a wicked wedding! What a gruesome groom and a heartbroken bride."

King was enjoying himself too much. "Here comes the groom!" he continued to sing, as Kane lumbered after his bride to be. "Here comes the groom!"

Lita staggered down the hall, nausea bubbling in her stomach. The stress was getting to her, and she knew it was bad for the baby. But at the moment, she didn't care.

The women's locker room was on the right. Lita threw open the door and stumbled in, ignoring the stares and giggles from Trish Stratus and her gang of harpies. _Please don't say anything, Trish,_ Lita thought dejectedly. _I don't wanna talk to anyone. Please, just go away, Trish. Just leave me alone._

"Congratulations, Lita!"

_Oh, Hell!_ "Trish, leave me alone." whispered Lita, yanking open her locker door.

Trish Stratus, Lita's blonde, buxom nemesis, flashed a friendly-looking smile. "Lita, I just wanted to congratulate you. Finally, you and Kane are gonna make it legal!"

"Trish, I don't wanna talk about it." Lita turned her back to Trish and pulled her purse and coat out. Her stomach clenched, and she took a deep breath to calm herself. Maybe she and Anna could stop at the store and pick up some ginger ale on the way back to the hotel. Ginger ale was supposed to settle a queasy stomach.

"So when's the big day?" Trish asked.

"I don't know. I don't care."

"Oh, c'mon, Lita. This is gonna be a special day for you."

Lita said nothing as she gathered her things. As she swayed towards the exit, her head began to pound and her back began to ache. _I need to get out of here and lie down._

"So what are you going to wear, Lita?" Trish continued, following her rival.

"Stop it, Trish! I'm warning you!"

"Hey, lighten up, Lita. I'm just trying to be friendly is all."

Lita spun on her heel and glared at her nemesis. Just as she was about to rip into Trish, a sudden wave of nausea almost knocked her to knees. Her coat and purse dropped to the floor as she clutched her stomach.

"Lita?" Trish suddenly looked concerned. "Are you okay?"

Lita shoved Trish out of the way, almost knocking her on her ass. Her vision swam as she staggered into the bathroom. Moments later, the bathroom door slammed and the room was filled with the sound of retching and hacking.

_Oh, God. Why is it called Morning Sickness when it lasts all day?_

Lita folded her arms across the toilet bowl and rested her head in the cool porcelain. She could hear the laughter and mockery of Trish and her friends, Gail, Molly, and Jazz. "Kane and Lita, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage. Then comes Lita with a-"

"Where's Lita?"

"Hey, what are you two barging in for? And you, Hollenbeck, aren't even under contract!"

"I have a VIP pass, Trish. And by the way, my name's Anna."

Lita lifted her head and sighed in relief. She easily recognized the voices of Victoria and Anna.

"Lita's stuff's on the floor. So where's Lita?"

"She's in the bathroom! God."

"Move it Gail, now!" Victoria's voice was sharp.

"Whatever."

Trish sniffed. C'mon girls. Let's go. Victoria and her anorexic little friend have no sense of humor." She and her friends walked out of the locker room, their footsteps and catty voices echoing down the hall.

Lita flushed the toilet and listened as her two friends approached the bathroom door. "Lita," asked Victoria's voice. "You okay?"

"Not really." Lita's voice was breathy as it rang up from the porcelain bowl.

"Me and Anna are coming in, okay?"

"Okay," she managed, as the door opened and Victoria and Anna stepped inside.

Lita glanced up, looking tired but grateful. "Thanks for getting those girls out-_oh, guys!" _A loud groan escaped her and she leaned her head into the bowl. Another bout of vomiting burst forth from Lita as Victoria knelt down beside her and pushed her hair back, waiting until Lita was finished.

Anna dampened a washrag in cold water and lifted Lita's face up so she could wipe it off. Then she pulled a bottle of water out of her purse and handed it to Lita. "You can finish that off. We're gonna take you back to the hotel so you get some sleep."

"How could I been so foolish?" Lita moaned, before taking a sip.

"Lita, you shouldn't have to marry Kane," Victoria consoled her, rubbing her back.

Anna stroked Lita's hair. "We'll talk to Eric Bischoff, and convince him to break that contract."

"It won't work," Lita moaned. "Bischoff hates me. He'll do anything just to make me squirm. He'll never listen. Eric made the match to begin with. He'll wanna see the wedding all the way through."

Victoria sighed. "We'll think of something, Lita."

"I never should have agreed to that stipulation when I signed the contract." Lita whimpered, thinking back to the confrontation she and Kane had the week before the fateful stipulation was added.

_"Kane, get off of me!" Lita shouted as Kane dragged her into a storage room backstage._

_"We're gonna have a little talk."_

_"Kane, if you don't let go of me, I swear, I'll-"_

_"You'll what? Scream? Go ahead, Lita. Scream! 'Cause that's exactly what I want. Because when your fiancé Matt comes thru that door, I'm gonna destroy him. And by the way, even if I don't get to Matt tonight, I will get him at Summerslam. Eric Bischoff just made that match. Matt Hardy vs me."_

_"Good, because he beat you before. And he's gonna beat you again, Kane."_

_"Are you sure about that?"_

_"Yes, I'm sure about that."_

_"Lita, you're not even sure who's baby you're carrying. So how can you be sure that Matt is going to beat me?"_

_"Because he's twice the man than you'll ever be."_

_"Oh? Okay. If you're so positive about that, let's raise the stakes on our Summerslam match. Let's say you will marry the winner." Kane caught the look of utter disgust on Lita's face and grinned. "Oh. What's the matter? You're not so confident now, are you? This is going to end at Summerslam. One way or another."_

_"You know, I want this over more than you do, Kane. Like I said, he's beat you before, and Matt will beat you again. You're on! Because I will marry Matt after Summerslam, and all this will be behind us."_

_"Oh, you're gonna get married all right. You're going to get married to me. You know, it's a pity that you can't wear white on our wedding day."_

_"You bastard!" Lita slapped Kane hard and stormed off._

_Kane laughed and held his cheek. His sick laughter rang in Lita's ears as she fled to the dressing room._

Lita dabbed her teary eyes with some Kleenex. "Matt and I were planning to marry this fall. He and I were discussing baby names the other day. We were planning to decorate one of the rooms in Matt's house as a nursery. He was totally ready to be a dad. He's not even the father, but he was ready to be Daddy." Lita sobbed. "Now that's all been blown to hell. What am I gonna do?"

Victoria helped Lita to her feet. "We're not gonna worry about that right now. Anna and I are gonna get your stuff together, and we're all going back to the hotel so you can get some rest. Tomorrow we'll talk to Matt."

"What about Kane?"

"We'll tell him you're resting. The stress wore you out tonight, and you wanted to turn in early. Just let us take care of you."

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I hope the ending didn't suck too much. To me it felt abrupt. BTW, the dialog between JR and Lawler came from the Summerslam broadcast.**

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter Two**_

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm resting," Matt sighed, the next afternoon in his hotel room. "It's nothing that a hot shower and some Advil couldn't fix."

Anna's voice was tinny as it rang through Matt's cell phone. "You scared us, Matty. The EMTs were all over the ring. They carried you out on a stretcher, you were wearing a neck brace. It just freaked us out."

"It was just a precaution," Matt reassured her. "The trainers wanted to make sure I wasn't hurt too bad from the chokeslam. But by the time I got out of the ER, the show was over. Sorry I missed you guys." He sighed. "How's Lita holding up?"

"She's pretty tore up right now," Anna said, as she steered the neon green Saturn Vue into the parking spot at the Labatt's Centre. The car was rather large and bulky, but it was the only one available in the rental lot. "Trish was giving her crap last night, and she was feeling really sick after the match. Good thing Victoria and I swooped in when we did."

Matt sighed. "Trish is a pain in the ass."

"Totally agree." Anna paused, as she threw the van in Park and checked to make sure her VIP pass was in place. "Anyway, we managed to get Lita back to the hotel. Poor girl cried herself to sleep last night. This is horrible. I was looking forward to being a godparent and helping you guys decorate a nursery for the baby. You know, I saw the cutest nursery at Babies 'R' Us a couple of days ago. It was from _The Lion King. _It would have been perfect for a boy or a girl-"

"Anna, I know you mean well, but...I'm really not wanting to talk about this now. I had every reason and motivation to beat Kane last night. I wanted to marry Lita and take care of the baby. And Lita was even planning on getting sole custody of the baby and severing Kane's parental rights. You know how Kane is. He's a fiend. Almost everyone in the locker room is scared to death of him. It wouldn't have been a slam-dunk case, but we would have had a sporting chance of winning. But that's not gonna happen." Matt paused. "I feel like I failed everyone."

"You didn't Matt. We'll find a way to stop this-"

"How, Anna? That contract we all signed is iron-clad. And good luck trying to talk to Bitchoff. He's had it in for Lita since she came back to RAW, and he'll do whatever it takes to get under her skin. He'll make sure that wedding takes place, come Hell or high water."

"Maybe we could convince Vince or Linda that Lita signed the contract under duress-"

"Highly doubtful."

Anna sighed and grabbed her purse. "Maybe Lita could file for divorce or get an annulment after the wedding."

"Knowing Kane, there's no way in Hell he'd allow that. He'd fight her every step of the way."

Anna climbed out the rental, still on the phone. "Matty, for someone willing to fight to the death in a wrestling ring for the woman he loves, you sure give up easy."

"It's not giving up," Matt fired back. "It's being realistic. Lita's gonna have to marry that...freak, and there's nothing you or I or anyone else can do about it."

"You guys never should have signed that contract."

"I know, but that's neither here nor there now." Matt yawned. "Listen, I need to get some rest. I was gonna show up tonght to antagonize Kane, but I changed my mind."

"Lita would have loved to see you this evening. I'll tell her you said hi. She and Victoria arrived earlier so that Victoria could prepare for her match. I'm Lita's ride back to the hotel. I'll talk at you later, I guess. Bye for now."

"Have fun, Anna. Bye."

Anna turned her phone off and locked up the rental. This trip was supposed to be a vacation of sorts, with Matt and Lita getting married to cap it all off. Matt's loss last night had cast a dark shadow over it, and it was difficult to enjoy the traveling.

~~~LITA~~~

_Anna had known Lita and Matt and their friends for three years. She'd moved to North Carolina from Missouri to make a new start for herself. During college, she developed a drinking problem, which became worse after she graduated and moved in with her mom, Kate, and her emotionally abusive roommate. Anna tried her best to tolerate Patty, but after Patty punched her in the face during an argument, Kate kicked her out._

_Knowing that she was spiraling, Anna put herself through treatment to deal with her issues, with Kate supporting her as much as she could. She even supported her daughter's decision to move, although she let it be known that she'd miss Anna to pieces._

_North Carolina wasn't chosen at random. Kate's sister, Delaney, and her brother-in-law, Ross, lived in Southern Pines, and they were more than happy to put their niece up for as long as she needed. Anna enjoyed staying with her aunt and uncle, though she explained that she didn't plan to make it a permanent arrangement._

_She found a part time job as a receptionist/assistant at a tattoo parlor. It was a fun job, and Anna met lots of interesting people. One of those was Jeff Hardy._

_Jeff was a regular customer, who came in frequently to get his tats touched up and to get more designs put on. He and Anna became fast friends, and it was through him that she met Matt, Lita, and the rest of the Core Group._

_Anna became friends with Lita while she was recovering from her neck surgery. She'd started out by being a personal assistant, running errands, taking her to doctor's visits, and cooking dinner for her every so often. Lita and Matt became close friends with the young woman with the blonde curls and the baggy pants, and they considered Anna the kid sister they never had._

_When Matt invited Anna to tag along with the RAW roster, she jumped at the chance (she was a WWE fan, and so were her aunt and uncle, who offered to pay for her travel expenses). He arranged for Anna to receive a VIP pass, allowing her to hang out backstage and meet the talent. She'd become buddies with Victoria and Stacy Keibler during her trip, who both made a point to hang out with her as much as they could._

~~~LITA~~~

Since Victoria was busy getting ready for her match, Anna decided to seek out Stacy. She ran around with pretty much the same crowd as Matt and Lita did on the road, so she wouldn't be hard to find.

She entered the venue, showing her pass to security and exchanging some friendly greetings. She got a Diet Pepsi out of the vending machine and sipped it as she looked for her companion for the night.

She found the former Duchess Of Dudleyville near a Dippin' Dots kiosk. "Hey, Cookie!"

Stacy Keibler turned and smiled. "Hi, Anna Banana!"

The two young women hugged and air-kissed. "How are you, Hon?" Stacy asked. "You find the place okay?"

"Thanks to the wonders of technology, I got turned around twice on my way over. Stupid GPS."

"When they work, they're great, but when they don't, you wanna toss them in the trash."

"You know it. So have you seen Lita anywhere?"

"I was gonna get her a 7-Up. She's been feeling pretty sick to her stomach, and her back's been hurting."

Anna sighed. "I told her if she wasn't feeling well to stay at the hotel and lie down. But knowing Lita, she'd drag herself out of bed to show everyone that she's gonna go down swinging."

"That can't be good for the baby."

"It isn't. Lita worries me right now." Anna paused, and then fumbled through her purse. "Hey, while we're getting the 7-Up, I think I'll get some Dippin' Dots. You want rainbow sherbet or strawberry?"

~~~LITA~~~

Trish Stratus rearranged the balloons around the cheap plastic banner she'd hung up in the dressing room. A smirk graced her pretty features as she set Gayle and Jazz's gifts the table. Perfect, she thought. Not bad for a thrown together party/prank.

Whenever I get a chance to torment Lita and throw in her face what a cheap whore she is, well, I'll jump on it. I just hope she makes her way over here.

"What the hell's all this?"

Trish turned to see her boyfriend leaning against the doorjamb. "And a nice hi to you too, Christian."

Christian Cage had been Trish's boyfriend for several months, and he had just returned from rehabing from serious injuries he'd sustained during a steel cage match with his former friend, Chris Jericho. He'd hoped to pick up right where he and Trish left off, but his girlfriend seemed to have better things to do than rekindle their romance.

"I was hoping we could head over to catering and grab a sandwich before the tapings started, but it looks like you have other plans." He studied the writing on the banner. "'Congratulations, Lita and Kane'? Everyone on the roster knows Lita doesn't want to marry that freak, and they all know how much you and her hate each other."

"Of course all of us know that. That's why it's gonna be so much fun getting under her skin and reminding her what a slut she is for sleeping with him." Trish set the pan of brownies she'd swiped from catering on the table. "Christian, come on. It's supposed to be a celebration."

"Celebration my ass. This looks tacky as hell."

"Hey, we got her presents," Trish shot back. "Jazz got her a vibrator, Molly got her some contraceptives, and we all chipped in for pictures. You oughta stay around to see Lita's reaction when we show her the composite we had made. That picture is hilarious."

Christian sighed and scratched his head. "Don't you think you're taking this a little too far? Contraceptives and a vibrator? Shouldn't you have gotten her like a blender or some baby clothes or something?"

"Not far enough!" Trish sniffed, making a mental note to swipe some paper cups when she had a chance. "I think what we got Lita is more appropriate. I'd have spent more, but that vibrator cost more than I wanted to spend. I had to get the decorations in the clearance department at Zeller's." Trish put a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "C'mon, Christian, the girl's and I are only trying to celebrate like a friend should."

Christian shook his head in disgust. "With a friend like you, she doesn't need an enemy," he sighed and walked off. "I gotta go, Trish."

Trish threw her boyfriend a dirty look when his back was turned. When he disappeared from sight, she turned back to the cheap decorations and pilfered brownies. "I wonder if I bought too many balloons."

~~~LITA~~~

_I should have stayed at the hotel, _Lita thought ruefully as she curled up on the couch in the dressing room she was sharing with Stacy and Victoria. Looney Tunes was playing on the small TV in the room, but she paid it no attention. Her back was killing her, her head pounded, and her queasy stomach hadn't settled down yet. She had tried to eat some lighter items (toast and tea for breakfast, and a salad for lunch), but she was having difficulty keeping those items down. _If this doesn't get any better,_ she thought as she pressed a couch cushion to her belly, _I'm making an appointment with my doctor and canceling public appearances for a while. I shouldn't be this sick._

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. It was probably Stacy; Lita had sent her to get her some 7-Up (the venue didn't have ginger ale). "I'm coming, just a minute," Lita groaned as she struggled to get off the couch. Her feet felt like concrete as she trudged towards the door and opened it.

"Oh, hell no!"

"Hi, Lita."

Kane, Lita's husband to be, stood in the doorway, wearing a gray wife beater and jeans. He leered down at her, his mismatched eyes sparkling, a sick smile on his lips. "I just wanted to see you before my match tonight. I heard you left early last night, right after my match. Is everything alright with the baby?"

"It's okay," Lita replied tightly. "I'm alright. I was tired, and I just wanted to lie down."

"So have you thought of names for our baby? I think Thomas would be a nice name if we have a son, and Christine would be a good name for a daughter."

"Kane I don't want to be around you any more than I have to right now. Please leave."

"Come now, Lita. You're going to be a wife and mother in a few months. You really need to start thinking of our future and the baby's"

"I don't wanna talk about this right now. Please leave."

"Lita, we have a family to think about, you can't keep avoiding this-"

Finally, Lita had heard enough. "I don't wanna talk about this. GET OUT!"

Suddenly, Kane lunged at his pregnant bride to be and seized her by both arms, lifting her abruptly off the floor. His ugly features were twisted into a snarl as he shoved Lita up against the doorframe.

_"You'd better start facing this, because this is now your reality," _Kane snarled. "Your precious Matt's not here to save you now."

Lita's voice was filled with false bravado. "Let me go, Kane, or I'll-"

"You'll what? Scream? Run to Eric Bischoff? Give that a try, see how far that takes you. You know how much he doesn't like you. He'd laugh at you. He'll point out that you signed the contract willingly."

He paused and watched Lita struggle in his rock-iron grip. A smile tweaked across his lips. "You probably think I'd be mad at you for what just happened. But I'm not. Oh, I can see what kind of relationship this is going to be, and I am going to enjoy it. Every minute of it." Kane set Lita down on the floor. "But nothing can upset me tonight. Because next week, in Anaheim, live on RAW, we are getting married. And later that night...we'll consummate our marriage."

A look of disgust twisted across Lita's pretty features as she slapped Kane across the face. A tense silence passed- and Kane chuckled and rubbed his face where he'd been hit.

"Ohhhh yeah, that's the way I like it!"

Lita staggered back into the dressing room, slamming the door shut behind her. Kane, still chuckling, turned and walked off, his heavy footsteps echoing down the hall. When she could no longer hear him, Lita colapsed back on the couch and broke down crying.

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I know Lita seems to be going through some really difficult stuff right now, but I promise it will get better. But it's gonna get worse-much worse-for her before that happens, so bear with me. BTW, Zeller's is a discount chain store in Canada, and the Labatt's Centre is a real venue. Anna's profile can be found on my profile, and it gets tweaked depending on what stories she appears in. **

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter Three**_

"That bastard," Lita sighed as she sipped on the 7-Up that Stacy brought back from the concession stand. "Kane had the nerve to show up while you guys were out. He's already picked out baby names, and he's even chosen a wedding date. Next week. In Anaheim, of all places! Freakin' Anaheim, on RAW! He might as well get married at Disneyland!"

Stacy rubbed Lita's feet (Lita was lying on the couch with her feet in Stacy's lap). "Your feet look a little swollen. You need to stay off of them for a while."

"That's why I had to wear sandals today," Lita explained. She glanced over towards Anna, who was seated at the coffee table in front of the couch, painting her fingernails a deep eggplant purple. "Anna, hon, could you point your nail polish away from me please? The smell's making me dizzy."

Anna put away her polish and blew gently across her freshly polished nails. "Sorry, Lita."

"It's not your fault. The pregnancy is just wreaking havoc on me right now. By the way, I like that color."

"Thanks. Matches my top."

"I still think you look better in pink."

Anna smirked. "And I still think l like purple better," she fired back, turning up the volume on the TV slightly. Spongebob Squarepants was on, and she wanted to watch.

"Anna, whatever color you want to wear is fine by us." Stacy kneaded the soles of Lita's feet with her thumbs. "Let me know if this hurts or not."

Lita shook her head. "You're fine, Stacy. That feels real good, actually."

"I'm glad." A pause. "Lita, you really need to get off the road and see a doctor. You're not handling this pregnancy very well."

"I was, but these past few days have been torture, and I don't know why. I talked to my mom, and she said her pregnancies were easy, and the women on my dad's side had easy ones too. I didn't think I'd have anything to worry about."

"Promise Anna and me that you'll go to the doctor ASAP."

Lita nodded. "Okay. As soon as the show's over, I'll get on the first plane out and make an appointment."

She and her friends fell into a comfortable silence, with Spongebob in the background.

A knock on the door broke their reverie. Anna glared over her shoulder at the closed door. "You better not be Kane!" she snapped, narrowing her eyes.

"It's not. It's Victoria."

"Oh, in that case, door's open. Come in."

Victoria had a puzzled look on her face as she entered the room. "Let me guess. Kane was here earlier."

"He decided it would be fun to antagonize me," Lita sighed, sitting up and putting her now-empty cup on the coffee table.

"Get this," Anna said. "He wants to marry her next week in Anaheim."

"Well, it's not gonna be the happiest place on Earth next Monday if he gets his way," Victoria shook her head. "Lousy bastard."

"It's not gonna be at Disneyland, if that's what you're implying. It's gonna be during the RAW taping."

"Lovely. If I have a chance this week, I'm gonna try to talk to Bischoff, try to convince him to stop the wedding. I'm sure there's reason to believe that the contract was signed under duress-"

Lita scowled. "Good luck with that, Vic. Bischoff hates me, and he'll do whatever it takes to make sure that wedding takes place, just to get under my skin."

"I discussed that possibility with Matt already," Anna added. "That contract has no loopholes in it, and Bischoff would laugh at us if we tried to talk to him."

"Boy, you guys sure have given up easy."

"We haven't given up," Stacy explained. "We're just being realistic. That marriage stipulation should never have been included in the first place."

"Well, I don't give a flying crap what you or Bischoff or anyone else thinks. I'm talking to him when I get a spare moment. Could one you guys come with me so if or when I get shot down in flames, I won't be alone?"

"It's a suicide mission, Vic." Stacy shook her head.

"I'm gonna be back home," Anna said, shaking her head. "You're on your own, I'm afraid."

"You guys are a bunch of Negative Nancys." Victoria knelt down next to Lita. "How are you holding up?"

"I've been better," Lita answered. "The girls have been taking good care of me."

"I'm glad." Victoria paused. "I just wanted to see you before my match with Gail."

Lita smirked. "Kick her ass for me, will you?"

"I certainly will." Victoria ruffled Lita's hair. "Take care of yourself."

"I will. Thanks for dropping by."

After Victoria left, the girls watched a few more cartoons, and then Lita stood up and stretched. "I need to go to the bathroom, guys. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Don't get into any trouble," Stacy teased. Lita stuck her tongue out at Stacy before she headed out the door.

After a pause, Anna said, "She's looking a little better."

Stacy nodded. "But I still hope she gets checked out by a doctor. You think one of us should go with her right now?"

Anna shook her head. "Lita's only going to the bathroom. What could possibly happen?"

~~~LITA~~~

Lita cursed under her breath at the _Out Of Order _sign on the bathroom door. The bathroom was the closest one to the dressing room she was camped out in with Stacy and Anna. Now, since it wasn't working, she'd have to use the bathroom that was further away. Shaking her head in mild disgust, she trudged down the hall.

Trish waited until she no longer heard Lita's footsteps, and then opened the bathroom door, suppressing her laughter as she stepped out. The trap worked perfectly. Coach would be in the hall to which Lita was heading, and she knew he'd hound her like the annoying interviewer he was. She'd have no choice but to duck into the nearest room to escape. And that room would be where Trish and her friends would hold Lita's "bridal shower."

She rushed back to the room as swiftly and as quietly as she could. This was going to be great.

~~~LITA~~~

"Lita. Just one second, if you don't mind."

Lita turned and groaned silently. Jonathan Coachman was approaching her quickly, microphone in hand. _Oh, God! And he's probably got that mike turned on,_ she thought, dismally.

"Do you have any comments for the entire world, now that you're forced to marry Kane?"

_Walk away, Lita. Ignore him, just walk away, _Lita thought, trying to ignore the annoying interviewer.

No use. Coach, not knowing when to quit, followed her. "I mean, I mean the wedding is one week from tonight, live. Right here on RAW. What is going through your mind right now?"

_When the hell did he find that out?_ Lita turned and shook her head. "I just wanna be left alone, Coach," she managed, looking desperately for a place to escape. To her left was a door labeled _Diva's Locker Room. _Maybe Victoria had come back here, or maybe Nidia was here, and she could take refuge with either one of them for a few minutes.

Lita nudged open the door and trudged inside. _Why is it so dark?_ Lita wondered, as she flipped on the light...

"SURPRISE!"

At first things didn't quite register. Then, as she glanced around the cramped, brightly-lit room, Lita noticed the cheap plastic banner on the wall that read _Congratulations Lita and Kane! _emblazoned across it in bold red letters. Bouquets of white balloons were hung on either end. There was a table with a pan of what looked like brownies on it in one corner of the room. Adjacent to that was another table laden with what looked like gift boxes piled on top of it.

If the circumstances were different, and if the banner had read _Congratulations Lita and Matt!_ , Lita might have found this setup rather charming, and she would have put on a brave smile and said a few words of appreciation. However, the girls cheering and applauding – Jazz, Trish, and Gail—killed that quickly. This wasn't a party thrown together at the last minute out of the kindness of their hearts to celebrate her sudden engagement. This was being thrown as a prank to torment her.

_God, please get me out of here!_ Lita thought frantically as Trish smiled and got right into her face. "Hey, Lita! Well, we figured you were feeling a little down, you know, because you have to marry, well, you know who. So I thought, _hmmm. How can we turn that frown upside down? _So the Divas and I decided to throw you a bridal shower!"

Gail, Molly, Trish and Jazz applauded, obviously enjoying Lita's discomfort.

"Congratulations," Jazz purred.

"But don't thank us yet," Trish continued, before Lita was able to say a word. "Thank us after the presents. Yes, there's presents!" She turned to the redhead with the pixie hair and the smug grin. "Right, Molly?"

"That's right." Molly took a small box off the table and drew closer. "Well Lita, since you like to sleep around so much, I got you something that you could really use," she said, as she opened the gift box. "First, there is...birth control pills," she explained, taking out the little package. "And of course, not to forget..." Molly reached in and pulled out a large black box with MAGNUM emblazoned in gold letters across the front. "Condoms!"

_I'm gonna be sick again! _Lita thought. The nausea, which had been quelled by the 7-Up she'd sipped earlier, came back with a vengeance. She tried to keep a poker face as Trish led her friends in an off-key chorus of the "Trojan Man" jingle.

Gail, Victoria's opponent for the evening, was the next to strike. "Lita, I know you seem really upset that you have to marry Kane, but...Look guys." She held up a framed portrait of Kane and Lita the night he cornered her in the ring. "Their first kiss!" Gail announced, as the girls _awwwed_ obnoxiously.

_Come on! Steady breaths! Don't panic! Stay calm!_ ordered the voice in Lita's head. Lita remembered the terror that coursed through her body, and the disgust she felt as Kane put his sweaty hands on her face and pressed his cold, clammy lips against hers like it had happened yesterday. It was the last thing she wanted to remember, and it made her stomach clench harder.

"You two are obviously in love," Gail continued, setting the portrait aside and reaching for what looked like another. "And you don't have to worry about the baby, because we had a composite made," she explained, holding it up. "And look! It's a beautiful baby. He's got your eyes-well, one of your eyes."

The picture looked hideous. It was one half of Kane's face put together with one half of Lita's face put on the body of an infant. It was the ugliest thing Lita had ever seen next to Kane himself.

Lita glanced quickly towards the door, waiting for it to open, and hoping that one of her girlfriends would appear to rescue her like the night before. But they were still hanging out in their dressing room, watching TV and unaware of the joke.

Trish giggled and pointed at the portrait. "And one of Kane's, too," she remarked as her buddies cackled in laughter. "But we saved the best for last. You ready?" A pause. "Jazz?

"That's right, Baby!" Jazz answered, sidling up to Lita like a cat. She was holding something behind her back. "On those long cold nights when Kane's out of town..." She held up a big silver box with a decorative white bow on top and nearly dropped it as she practically shoved it into Lita's face. Lita jumped back in surprise—as did Gail, Trish, and Molly—when she realized the package was _vibrating!_

"A Big Red Machine of your own!" Jazz announced. The girls howled in laughter as Jazz tried to shove the gift into Lita's hands. "Here. Take it!"

"Batteries included!" Trish added. A smug grin crossed her face as she turned to her rival. "Okay, Lita. You can thank us now."

Lita had had enough. White faced and sick, she turned on her heel and stalked out of the room without taking any of the gifts. _Where's the other bathroom? _she wondered frantically, her stomach fluttering.

Trish followed right after her. "Wait! Hey, we tried real hard to put this party together, come on!" Finally, Trish caught up to Lita and cornered her. "What about your condoms? You'll need them for next week."

Lita shoved Trish into the wall. "Leave me alone, Trish!" she snarled.

"Hey calm down, Sweetie. The girls and I were just trying to do something nice for you—"

_"The hell you were!"_ Lita shouted. _"That was not doing something nice Trish, and you damn sure know it! It was just another jab at me. Every goddamn chance you get, you just love to throw in my face the fact that I made a mistake, don't you? You do that so much these days, it's become your favorite pastime!_

_"Well you're not much different from me, Trish! You threw away the love of a perfectly good man for that walking mistake you're dating now! You said you wanted a real man? Well your so-called real man just got back from three months of rehab after getting his ass kicked by the guy you dumped for him! So don't tell me I'm the one who slept around!"_

Trish was completely thunderstruck. A tense silence passed before she narrowed her eyes. All the false friendliness had disappeared from her expression. "Don't you dare throw that back at me," she hissed.

Lita cocked an eyebrow. _"Touché,_ bitch. Now get out of my face."

"You sleazy, good-for-nothing skank—"

"GET OUT!" Lita shoved Trish onto the floor. The blonde diva landed unceremoniously on her ass with an undignified squawk. _"And Gail, if you're listening, I hope Victoria kicks your ass!"_

And with that, she staggered down the hall, struggling to keep herself together.

~~~LITA~~~

"You okay," Gail asked as she helped Trish to her feet.

"I'm fine. Guess she can't take a joke anymore. Pregnancy hormones and all, I guess." She and Gail walked back to the locker room. "Let's put the gifts together and make sure Lita gets them. We can leave them at her door at the hotel. Then later you can help me pick out something to wear to her wedding. I am just dying to be her maid of honor…"

~~~LITA~~~

Lita lurched her way into the bathroom, leaned over the first sink she saw, and heaved. It wasn't much, considering how little she'd eaten that day, but by the time she finished, she felt like she'd thrown up her toenails.

She rinsed her mouth out and splashed some cold water on her face, and then burst into tears as she stumbled into a bathroom stall. I can't seem to catch a break! she thought dejectedly as she sat down and relieved herself. _Why? Why did everything have to get so screwed up! What the hell did that freak see in me in the first place? Couldn't he have picked someone else? What made me so damn special?_

She flushed and grabbed some more toilet paper to dab at her teary eyes. As she did, she happened to glance down and gasped in horror.

The water in the bowl underneath her was turning red.

Lita sat back, white faced, heart racing. "No," she whispered. "Oh God, _no…"_

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: WOW! I ended this one on a cliffhanger, didn't I? I know I'm making Trish seem like an **_**uber**_**-bitch in this story, but in actuality, I really admire her and the contributions she's made to the WWE. Same goes for Lita, and I can honestly say that I never thought I'd write her as a heroine. But, you have to read the whole story before you can pass judgment on anyone, and that's exactly what I did.**

**Still looking for a title for this one, though I already have a couple, and to those who contributed, a big THANKS! By the way, anyone who's reading **_**Into The Dark, **_**I will have the next chapter up in a few days. I just had a creative spurt with this one, and I had to put it down.**

**And remember…REVIEWS = LOVE**


	4. Chapter 4

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I want to start this off by saying that Matt Hardy needs a lot of help right now. If you've been reading the wrestling news, you'll know that Matt was arrested for DWI following a car accident, which led to TNA firing him. Please include him in your prayers, because he's spiraling and is in desperate need of repair (physical, emotional and spiritual).**

**With that said, I did consider putting this story on hold because Matt's recent issues have broken my heart. However, I'm going to continue because shelving my work would be akin to giving up and turning my back on him. And Matt, please get the help you desperately need. Your fans are worried sick about you.**

_**Chapter Four**_

"This stuff's fantastic," Anna explained, as she finished painting Stacy's nails the same eggplant shade as hers. "Dries in a minute, has a built in top-coat and base coat. A complete manicure in a bottle."

Stacy admired the reflected play of light across her fingernails. "That color is intense. I'm sure I'll find something in my wardrobe that matches it." She paused. "What time is it?"

Anna glanced at her watch. "Ten minutes later than the last time you asked me," she said. "Why?"

"Lita should have been back by now."

"You know what? You're right. She just went to the bathroom. It can't possibly take this long."

Stacy stood up. "Why don't you stay here and wait for her if she comes back. I'll go see what's keeping her."

Anna nodded and watched as Stacy walked out of the dressing room. Sighing, she turned to watch Tom and Jerry beat up on each other on the TV screen. Normally, Tom and Jerry made her laugh, but she couldn't pay attention to the cartoon. An uneasy feeling crept over her as she anxiously waited for Lita to come back. _Don't freak, Anna! She'll be back. Nothing's wrong, _said the voice in her head.

Stacy came back two minutes later. A look of concern was etched across her features. "Is Lita back?"

Anna shook her head. "She hasn't come back."

"Well, she wasn't in the bathroom, either. Help me look for her."

Anna shuddered and climbed off the couch, taking her purse and cell phone with her. "Stacy, I have a really bad feeling about this. We need to find her quick."

~~~LITA~~~

In the bathroom stall, Lita sat and tried to keep her breathing steady. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her stomach, which clenched and unclenched painfully, and her face was pale. She felt blood trickling out of her and was growing more convinced that she was suffering a miscarriage.

_Why? Why did I have to fall into that trap? _Lita thought, despondently. _I should have checked to see if that bathroom really was out of order. If I had, then I wouldn't have walked into that god-awful bridal shower! I wouldn't have gotten into that screaming match with Trish. I would be back in the dressing room, and the girls would have been able to take care of me._

_God! They probably don't know where I am._

Lita glanced down and sighed in relief. Her cell phone was in her pants pocket. She pulled it out, flipped it open, and dialed the last number she'd called. "Come on," she whispered. "Pick up. _Pick up!"_

~~~LITA~~~

"I'm sorry, girls," Coach said, regretfully. "I haven't seen Lita for a while. Last time I saw her, she was going into the Diva's dressing room. I guess Trish and her friends threw her a party. It must have gotten out of hand, because Lita laid into Trish afterwards and ran off."

Stacy cocked her head. "A party?"

"Some sort of bridal shower."

Anna snarled. She thought Trish was fake, smarmy and two-faced, and she knew that Trish and Lita were bitter enemies. "Why the hell would Trish want to throw her a bridal shower?"

"To pick on her, that's why." Stacy answered, stating the obvious.

Coach shrugged his shoulder and walked off. "I don't know what to tell you girls, sorry," he offered in way of an apology, just Stacy's cell phone rang.

She glanced at the caller ID and answered. "Lita, where the heck are you? Coach says you ran off after Trish and her gang of harpies threw you a bridal shower. Which bathroom? What out of order sign? I didn't see an out of order sign there. Okay. Yeah..." Stacy's voice trailed off and her face suddenly went pale. "Oh, no. No! Lita, stay where you are. Try not to panic. Anna and I will be right there . Okay. Bye."

"Stacy, you look like you've seen a ghost." Anna's voice was wary. "What's going on?"

Stacy snapped her phone shut. "Something's wrong with Lita." She turned on her heel and rushed down the hallway, gesturing for Anna to follow her. "Go with me, I think I'm gonna need your help."

~~~LITA~~~

Lita heard footsteps and heard the bathroom door swing open. "Stacy? Anna?" she croaked.

"It's us. Which stall are you in?" Stacy called out softly, as a toilet flushed.

"Last one. Hurry, guys."

Stacy entered the stall and gasped. Lita was seated on the toilet with her arms wrapped protectively around her belly and her pants pushed down past her knees. Her red hair, damp with sweat, stood out in sharp relief against her white face. Her eyes were wide with fear as she gazed up at the girls.

"I'm bleeding," Lita whispered, her lips trembling. "I need to go to the emergency room."

Stacy knelt down and rubbed Lita's back. "Okay. We'll get one of the trainers here. They'll take you to the hospital-"

"NO!" Lita shook her head frantically. "You guys have to take me."

Anna knelt down as well. Seeing one of her best friends in such rough shape broke her heart. "Lita, the trainers can take care of you better than we can at this point. If you're bleeding, it's serious business. You could get sick and then you'd really have problems."

Tears sprang from Lita's eyes. "No," she whimpered, as Stacy wrapped her up in a gentle hug. "I don't want anyone to know about this. I'll never hear the end of it, especially from Trish."

Both Stacy and Anna nodded.

"Anna, why don't you get some paper towels," Stacy instructed. "We have to get this bleeding slowed down."

"Sure thing." Anna stepped out and pulled some paper towels out of the dispenser. The dispenser was the kind that rolled out paper when you turned a crank. Anna cranked out a long strip of paper towels, which she folded several times to make a large pad. She handed the folded-up paper off to Stacy and fumbled through her purse for her keys.

"I'm gonna get my car," Anna said. "Lita can lie down in the back seat. I'll drive you guys to the hospital."

"Okay, hurry," Stacy nodded as Anna rushed out the door.

Once Anna was gone, Lita mumbled something that Stacy couldn't hear. "Lita? What is it, sweetie?"

"This is my fault. I brought this all on me, Stacy. If I didn't sleep with him, this wouldn't be happening-"

Stacy lifted Lita's tearstained face up. "Lita, this isn't your fault. It's nobody's fault, okay?"

"It is, Stacy! How could I have been so stupid?"

"Kane trapped you, Lita. He made it so you didn't have a choice."

"I should have gone to Vince, or called the police when he started harassing me- "

Stacy stroked Lita's hair. "Shhhh," she said gently. "That doesn't matter right now. What matters is getting you to the emergency room so the doctors can take care of you, okay?" Lita sniffled, and then nodded. "Okay. Let's get you cleaned up, and we'll go out side and wait for Anna..."

~~~LITA~~~

_I hope I can remember where I parked, _Anna thought to herself as she charged down the hall. _What door did I use to get in this place? I should have scoped this place out when I had a chance-_

Her train of thought was cut short when she collided with someone when she turned the corner.

_"Ooof!"_

"Hey! Why don't you look where you're going?" snapped a familiar sounding voice. "I nearly dropped my sandwich!"

Anna glanced up. She recognized the snarky blonde haired man with what looked like a permanent smirk on his face as Trish's boyfriend (she couldn't remember his name offhand). He was holding a sandwich in one hand and a bottle of soda in the other, and he looked rather aggravated.

"Outta my way," Anna barked, shoving past the smirky blonde. "I'm in a hurry."

"Where's the fire?" he snorted at the petite blonde as she walked past him and tore out of the arena. The slamming of a metal door was the only reply.

Christian rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Whatever," he huffed. He didn't know the young woman's name, but he'd seen her more than a few times, hanging out with Lita and Matt and their friends, and he compared her to a Jack Russell terrier. Annoying and kinda yippy, but harmless.

Sandwich and soda in hand, Christian rounded the corner and walked off in search of a place to eat his dinner.

~~~LITA~~~

Anna drummed her fingers impatiently on the steering wheel as she drove around the arena for the third time. She tried to drive as slowly as she could so that she'd be able to see Lita and Stacy waiting for her. The sooner she was able to find them, the sooner they could get to the hospital, and the sooner the doctors could work to save Lita's baby.

"Come on guys," she sighed. "Where are you? I thought you'd be out here by now."

Finally, Anna saw her red-headed friend and her leggy blonde companion outside a service entrance. Lita was wearing a jacket and was leaning tiredly on Stacy's shoulder. Anna threw the rental in Park and got out. "What took you?"

"Had to get my stuff, and Lita's," Stacy explained, as she helped Lita into the back seat. "I didn't want Lita moving around too much, so she stayed in the bathroom while I got everything."

Anna stowed Stacy and Lita's things in the back of the rental and got back in. "Where's the nearest hospital?"

"St. Joseph's," Stacy answered as she climbed into the back seat with Lita. She rattled off the address, and Anna entered it into the GPS.

Lita whimpered and rested her head on Stacy's shoulder. "I hurt."

"I know, Sweetheart." Stacy rubbed Lita's shoulder and glanced up sharply at Anna, who was driving cautiously out of the parking lot. "Okay. Don't drive, Anna. _Fly!"_

Anna managed to maneuver the rental through heavy traffic, blowing through red light after red light and getting a few honks and dirty looks in return. "Yeah, honk all you want, people!" she grumbled, listening carefully for the GPS's next instruction. "This is life and death here."

She glanced in her rear view mirror. "Lita, you doing okay?"

"Hurry!" she croaked.

"I am, sit tight," Anna reassured her just as she noticed flashing blue and red lights. _"Dammit!"_

Stacy looked confused. "What's going on?"

"I must have passed an unmarked cop car! I have to pull over-"

"No! Anna, keep going!"

_"Are you out of your-"_

"No! Just trust me, the hospital is only a couple of blocks away. Just keep going!"

"Okay, but if I get busted for eluding a police officer, you're paying my bail!"

With the unmarked cruiser right on her tail, Anna continued to drive until she saw the entrance to St. Joseph's. She pulled into the Emergency Room entrance with a sigh of relief, just as the cop car pulled up right behind the rental.

"Anna, let me talk," Stacy barked, the tone in her voice leaving no room for argument. "Keep quiet."

"Stay in the car! Hands off the wheel!" exclaimed the boyish looking policeman as he got out and approached the rental car. Anna rolled down the window, and the officer looked at her sternly. "Good evening, Miss. Did you know you were going 67 in a 45 zone?"

"Officer, I know you're doing your job," said Stacy, lifting Lita's chin up. "But this woman's pregnant, and she's bleeding. She might lose her baby. We wanted to get to the hospital quickly."

The cop studied Lita's white face and nodded. "All of you, stay here. I'm gonna get some people out here."

"Thank you, Officer," Stacy sighed as the cop rushed into the ER. Moments later, he returned with an ER doctor and a couple of nurses. One of them was pushing a wheelchair.

"Miss, we need you to step out of the car," instructed the nurse with the wheelchair, gesturing at Stacy. Stacy reached over and grabbed her things and Lita's out of the back of the car and climbed out as the cop helped Lita out of the car and led her carefully into the wheelchair. Once she was situated, the nurses and doctor left, with Stacy bringing up the rear.

Anna gave the cop a grateful smile. "Thank you," she said, as the cop returned to the driver's side window.

"Miss, I know you were trying to help your friend, which is very commendable," he said. "But you were caught speeding, and I have to follow procedures. I take it this is a rental?

"Yes, Officer."

"Then I'll need to see your license and paperwork for this vehicle, and I may need to write you a citation. Are you okay with that?"

"That's fine. Do what you have to," nodded Anna, as she reached into the glove compartment. At least Lita was in the hands of doctors now, and that was all that mattered at the moment.

~~~LITA~~~

After what felt like hours, Anna trudged into the ER waiting room, where Stacy was reading a magazine. "Any word on Lita or the baby yet?"

"She's still in the ER," Stacy sighed, setting the magazine down. "How'd it go outside?"

"He let me go with a warning. Took me forever to find a parking space. Had to park at the end of the lot." An exhausted sigh escaped Anna's lips as she sat down. "I hope this was just a false alarm."

"It was pretty scary." Stacy paused. "I never saw Lita look so scared before. She's usually this brave, tough-as-nails type.

"Yeah. These past few months for her have been hell. I don't know how she's able to deal with it."

A female doctor in scrubs approached Anna and Stacy. "Excuse me. Are you two here for Lita?" The two young women got out of their chairs. "Hi," she said, her voice soft but confident. "I'm Dr. Rachel Keyes, I'm the ER physician tonight. I'm taking care of your friend right now."

"How's she doing?" Stacy asked.

"She's stable and resting right now. I can't tell you much more than that. Doctor-patient confidentiality. But we have called the baby's father, and he's on his way here."

Anna felt her stomach flop over sickeningly. She put on a bland expression to hide her anxiety. "Okay, thanks, " she managed, nodding.

"Can we see Lita?" Stacy asked, concern painted across her face.

"Not yet. I'll let you know when you can visit her. She's had a very rough patch, and I want her to get as much rest as possible. I will keep you posted."

After Dr. Keyes left, Anna shook her head. "Oh, God! Not Kane! I can't deal with that brute right now!"

Stacy gave Anna's shoulder a squeeze. "He's the baby's father. He's got a right to know."

"He's not that baby's father. He's a sperm donor, as far as I'm concerned!"

"That's awful harsh."

"Well, when you consider what he's done to Lita and Matt the past few months, you'd feel the same way too. That selfish, self-centered bastard!"

Anna and Stacy heard footsteps behind them and turned around. "Anna? Stacy? I just got a phone call to come out here. How's Lita?"

Anna's eyes widened in shock when she recognized the man behind the voice. _"Matt?"_

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Surprised? Well, the way I pictured it, Kane may have fathered Lita's baby, but in Lita's eyes, and the eyes of her friends, Matt's the **_**daddy**_**. And I always wondered why the hell Kane got so fixated on Lita, when he knew full well that she was already in a relationship? I know, storyline, not real, blah blah blah...but I'm writing it like the stalking and pregnancy were for real. I don't know if it all was or not. BTW, keep Matt in your prayers. He needs all the support he can get!**

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter Five**_

"I don't understand," Anna said, shaking her head in confusion. "I thought the doctor would call Kane and have him come over."

Matt sunk into the nearest chair in the waiting room. "I guess Lita gave the doctors my number instead of his."

"Probably because she considers you the _daddy._ Guess as far as Lita's concerned, Kane's only a sperm donor. That's how much she hates him."

Matt nodded. "How's Lita doing?"

"The doctors are with her right now," Stacy answered. "We're not immediate family, so they can't give us any information. Matt, Lita's in good hands. They're taking good care of her, I'm sure."

"They'd better be. I broke just about every traffic law getting here," Anna snorted.

Matt's eyes widened. "Broke every traffic law? Don't tell me you drove here."

"Hey, I got off with a warning!"

"Anna, that was stupid! You should have called for an ambulance-"

Stacy put a hand on Matt's arm. "We would have, but Lita refused," she explained, in Anna's defense. "She didn't want word of this going around. She was afraid that if word got out about her being rushed to the hospital, she would never hear the end of it. And Trish would have a field day."

Matt nodded. He wasn't totally convinced, but he understood where the girls were coming from. "Yeah. We wouldn't want Lita's best friend finding out about this, would we," he said snidely, putting _best friend_ in air quotes.

"Definitely not. And speaking of Trish, she and her brood of harpies went after Lita again tonight. They got in her face about her mistake, in the guise of throwing her a bridal shower. Then Lita told Trish off and went into the bathroom. That's where we found her."

Matt sprung from his chair and punched the wall. _"That bitch!"_ he spat, beginning to pace the floor. "Normally I have respect for women, but in this case, I have none for Trish. You'd think she'd be a little more sympathetic towards Lita, but _noooo_. Every chance she gets, Trish takes pot shot after pot shot at her, and I'm getting tired of it!"

"You're not the only one who's tired of it," Anna nodded.

Matt raked his fingers through his hair. "How could everything go to hell so quickly? We had plans for the new baby. I'd gone into the match feeling confident. I mean, I'd beaten Kane before, so I didn't think last night would be any different. I don't understand what went wrong. I should have fought harder for Lita, and I didn't. God, I feel so helpless."

Stacy shook her head. "Matt, stop beating yourself up. You did your best-"

"But there's no way out of this, Stacy!" Matt exclaimed. "You know it, Anna knows it, I know it, Lita knows it, and most importantly, Kane knows it! The only thing we can do now is deal with it."

"Excuse me, sir. Are you Matt?"

Matt turned in time to see Dr. Keyes approach him. A serious expression was on the ER physician's face. "Yes. I'm Matt. I'm the baby's daddy. How's Lita and the baby?"

"Can I take you aside for a few minutes. I have some very serious information to discuss with you..."

~~~LITA~~~

Dr. Keyes ushered Matt into a quiet room away from the ER and closed the door gently behind her. "Matt, first of all, Lita is stable and resting comfortably right now. Barring any complications, she should be able to go home tomorrow."

Matt sighed softly. "Good to know. Is the baby okay?"

Dr. Keyes sighed. "Before I answer that question, were you aware of any problems Lita was having during her pregnancy?"

"She was complaining the past few days of a backache, and she was having trouble eating. She was nauseous and throwing up a lot."

Dr. Keyes nodded and fixed Matt with a sympathetic gaze. "When her friends brought her in, she was bleeding pretty heavily and in a lot of pain. We ran some tests and performed an ultrasound. Lita fought very hard, but...there's no easy way to say this..."

"What happened?" Matt's voice was quiet, but it held a note of panic.

"I'm sorry, Matt...but Lita suffered a complete miscarriage."

It was like being hit with a board. Matt's shoulders slumped, and he buried his face in his hands. He was speechless.

Lita had been through hell and back the past few months, and this was the last thing she needed. Matt already felt guilty about the deal Lita had been forced to make, the one that made her pregnant in the first place. He was the reason why she'd been backed into such a corner. He was also the reason why Lita had to marry the man she despised with every fiber of her being. And because of his failure, she would have to deal with the loss of her baby.

The baby had been the only innocent one in this drama.

And now, it was gone.

Guilt upon guilt upon guilt. Matt knew it would tear him to pieces if he let it.

He didn't realize that Dr. Keyes was talking to him until he felt her hand on his shoulder. "Matt? Matt? Is there anyone you want to call or talk to. Or would you like me to leave so you can be by yourself?"

Matt looked up at Dr. Keyes, his expression weary and his eyes sad. "I'm...I'm okay. I just wanna break the news to her friends. They need to know."

"Of course." Dr. Keyes paused and spoke gently. "If you need someone to talk to, I can recommend some grief counselors. A couple of them specialize in pregnancy losses."

"Thanks. Actually we're not from this area. I can look up some resources online when I get home."

"Fair enough."

"Can I go see her?"

"Let me know when you're ready," Dr. Keyes nodded as she left the room, with Matt following soon after.

~~~LITA~~~

The first thing Stacy and Anna noticed when Matt returned to the waiting room was his physical appearance. His head was bowed, his eyes were downcast, and his shoulders were hunched like he was anticipating a physical blow. The girls stood up and approached him cautiously.

Anna was the first to speak. "Matty," she ventured, her voice soft but anxious. "Is Lita okay?"

Matt nodded. "She should be able to go home tomorrow morning." he answered softly.

"And the baby?"

Matt shook his head, unable to speak. It didn't matter though; the girls had already figured out that answer.

"Oh, no." Stacy whispered, as she and Anna closed in to wrap Matt in a gentle group hug. Soft sobs shook Matt's body as he, Anna and Stacy leaned into each other and shared their grief.

A few painful minutes passed, and then Matt looked up to see Dr. Keyes standing a respectful distance away. He dabbed his eyes and said, "I want to see Lita."

~~~LITA~~~

When Matt entered Lita's room, his heart sank. Lita was lying in bed, dressed in a hospital gown, her arms folded protectively around her belly, and her hair in a messy knot on the top of her head. An oxygen tube was in her nose, and wires connecting her to a heart monitor poked out from under her hospital gown. A steady, quiet beeping filled the air.

But it was Lita's haunted, numb expression that discouraged Matt the most. Her eyes, once sparkling and vibrant, were dull and flat as she stared off into some point in the distance. _The lights are on, but nobody's home,_ was the first thing that crossed Matt's mind as he approached her cautiously and pulled up a chair.

He took one of her hands into his. It was warm and limp. "Lita," he ventured softly, stroking the side of her face "Baby, I'm here."

Lita blinked, and her eyes focused. "Matty?"

"It's me, Lita. I'm right here."

Lita's lips quivered, and she blinked back tears. "Matty, I lost the baby," she managed to choke out, before she broke down and began to cry.

Tenderly, Matt gathered Lita into his arms and held her close. What could he possibly say to her that could make her feel any better right now? He realized there was nothing he _could_ say. How could he begin to understand Lita's feeling of loss when he'd never experienced it the way she had? All he could do was hold her and rub her back and let Lita spill out her grief.

"Lita," Matt whispered. "This isn't your fault."

"I feel like somehow it is," Lita said back, her voice muffled. "I got myself into one helluva a jam with you and Kane. It just isn't fair."

"I know."

"It was supposed to be us, Matt. You and me and our family. How could it have all gone to hell so quick? I know you were furious and hurt when it all happened."

"You don't need to explain yourself, Babe. Kane didn't leave you much of a choice."

"I really regret what I did, Matty. But you know what's weird?"

"What?"

"I don't regret my pregnancy. Finding out that Kane was the father devastated me, but I started to feel the baby move inside me, and...I actually wanted to give birth to it. It's pretty ironic. I wanted the baby. I knew I had to protect it from..._him. _It was the only thing that gave me some normalcy, you know?"

Matt nodded. He understood where Lita was coming from, even though he'd never experienced it.

"My baby was the only one who was innocent in all of this. Matty, I'm never gonna know what my baby looks like. I'll never get to hold my baby. I'll never even know if it was a boy or a girl."

Matt wanted to tell Lita it was going to be okay, but he decided not to. It would sound trite and insincere, and he knew Lita would not want to hear it.

"What am I gonna do now, Matt? Kane's gonna demand to try again. Once was unbearable. I can't stomach the thought of having to go through it all again. Baby or no baby, I have to marry that freak! And there's no way around it!" Lita sighed. "God, I don't wanna think about that right now."

"I know you don't wanna hear this, Lita. But you have to tell Kane about the baby."

"I know I do. But right now, I just don't wanna deal with it, okay?" Matt nodded and let Lita rest in his arms.

A few minutes passed, and then Lita lifted her head. "Matt?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you spend the night with me?"

Matt kissed the top of Lita's head. "Of course."

"Thanks for being here."

Matt's voice was thick with emotion. "I'm always here for you, Babe."

~~~LITA~~~

After making a few more phone calls, Anna and Stacy went back to the hotel. The drive back was done in painful silence. Neither of them could say anything to each other. They just sat and tried to process the news that Lita's baby was gone.

They pulled into a parking space to find Victoria waiting for them. She approached them both as they climbed out of the rental and hugged each of them. "I'm got your message. I'm so sorry," she offered in way of sympathy.

"Thanks," Stacy managed.

"How's Lita?"

"She's in shock, but Matt's with her. He's spending the night."

"Has anyone told Kane yet?"

"I really don't want to think about Kane right now," Anna said, shaking her head. "I just want to get to bed and let my mind go blank."

"I don't blame you."

"Hey, listen. Can I bunk with one of you guys? I really don't want to be alone tonight."

Stacy smiled wearily. "Sure. You can sleep in my room."

"Thanks." Anna sighed as she put the rental keys into her purse. "I'm gonna pack my stuff and Lita's, then I'll head over."

"I'm in room 302. See you in a bit."

"Okay." Anna trudged into the building, leaving Victoria and Stacy talk outside.

Anna climbed the stairs to her floor, a yawn squeezing her eyes into slits. She and Lita packed pretty lightly, so it wouldn't take too long to get their stuff together. She made a mental note to leave some clothes out for Lita, as well as her toothbrush and comb and some soap.

She slid her card key into the lock, and it beeped and turned green. Sighing, Anna pushed the door open and cursed as she almost tripped over the object in the doorway. She glanced down and saw the garish looking paper gift bag with a bunch of frilly ribbons attached to the handle. "What the hell?" she said under her breath.

The gift bag had what looked like two portraits, a small gift box and a larger gift box festooned with white ribbons. Curiosity got the better of Anna, and she inspected the items a little more closely.

Anna's curiosity turned into disgust as she checked out the boxes. _Condoms? Birth control? Ew! Is that a vibrator? And that picture is hideous!_

Anna bared her small white teeth. "Trish," she hissed, her blood beginning to boil. These had to have been the "gifts" she and her nasty little girlfriends had given Lita before she'd fled into the bathroom. Anna clenched her fists. If she was a little bigger, and if it was a couple hours earlier, she would have hunted down the sleazy blonde and bitch slapped her into the middle of next week. Anna had never liked Trish to begin with, and this just made her hate the woman that much more.

Feeling angry for her best friend, Anna glanced down into the bag again. There was a Pepto-bismol pink envelope with _Lita _written across it in big cartoony letters and a smiley face dotting the "i". Shaking her head in disgust, Anna ripped open the envelope and pulled out the card to read it:

_Dear Lita, _

_Personally, I don't believe in sex before marriage, but I wanna let you know that I support your decisions 100 percent. _

_I know that you're all nervous and confused about having to marry Kane, but I just wanna let you know that everything is gonna be just fine. All you have to do is open your heart. Just like you opened your legs._

_Good luck with your big day!_

_Love, Trish_

Snarling, Anna grabbed the greeting card and tore it into little pieces which she hurled angrily back into the gift bag. Her vision began to turn red with fury as she picked the bag up and stomped down the hall and slammed out of the hotel.

She stalked around angrily until she found a dumpster. With a primal shout, Anna tossed the composite picture out of the bag and stomped on it until it was little more than broken glass and splintered wood and torn up paper. She then took the picture of Lita and Kane's "First Kiss" and gave that the same treatment as well. Then, she heaved the gifts—the pictures, the birth control, the condoms, and the vibrator-into the dumpster, along with the ugly gift bag.

Finally, her tantrum complete, Anna leaned against the dumpster, panting to catch her breath. As she calmed down, her anger began to fade, being slowly replaced by a deep despair. The tears she'd shed earlier for her friend came back with a vengeance, and she collapsed in tears on the pavement.

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Wow, this was a hard chapter to write, not because I couldn't think of anything, mind you. The emotions in it were just really, really heavy. I always thought having a friend like Anna—one who would be angry or hurt **_**for**_** you—was really cool. Don't you just wanna slug Trish for being such an _uber-_bitch? **

**Lita's gonna have to tell Kane about her miscarriage. I had toyed with the idea of her not telling him until the wedding, but after giving it some thought, I decided not to go that route. Kane may be a sick, twisted bastard, but he was also a father-to-be, and hiding that from him would just be cruel. Besides, it would be harder for me to make Lita sympathetic if I'd chosen that route.**

**The scene with Matt and Lita was inspired by the scene of Lita in the hospital on WWE RAW after losing her baby. That haunted look on her face just stuck with me, and the scene pretty much wrote itself.  
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**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	6. Chapter 6

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I'm so happy and relieved that Matt has finally gone to rehab to take care of his substance abuse issues. Whether it was because he chose to or if it was either going to rehab or going to jail is beside the point. The point is, he's finally getting the help he so desperately needs.**

**BTW, if you are a hater who wants to bash Matt, then take a look at what I have to say about Matt's situation on my profile.**

_**Chapter Six**_

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay with you right now?"

Lita nodded tiredly and shifted her purse. "I'm okay. I just need some time alone," she said, her voice strained as she accompanied Matt down the hall to her hotel room. The ride back had been silent, save for the classic rock station on the car radio.

Everything around her looked and felt surreal, like she'd stepped into a Salvador Dali painting. The day before, she was pregnant—albeit by someone she utterly despised, but pregnant nonetheless—and concerned about the child she was carrying. Now, this morning, she wasn't. She felt empty and hollow, like an egg that an artist poked holes into to blow out the insides, leaving only a fragile shell.

Matt and Lita stopped at the doorway of the hotel room Lita was sharing with Anna. A painful silence passed, and then Matt pulled Lita close and kissed the top of her head. "If you need anything, call me. Whenever or wherever, it doesn't matter. Okay?"

"Okay," Lita nodded. She watched as Matt walked down the hall to the the bank of elevators at the end. Once he was out of sight, Lita let herself into her room.

The room was quiet. Anna wasn't in the room and her suitcase was already packed and on top of her bed. There was a note on Lita's bed which read, _Hi. I stayed over in Stacy's room. Didn't want to be by myself last night. I laid some clothes out for you. We've got the late flight, so we can get some rest before we go. Call me if you need anything. My cell will be on. Love, Anna._

A tired smile creased Lita's lips as she trudged into the bathroom. Once inside, she peeled off her clothes and turned on the shower. She stepped into the hot spray and lathered up, letting herself be caught up in the daily routine.

It was difficult. Each time she closed her eyes, she kept thinking back to everything that had happened to her over the past several months. The stalking, the kidnapping, the forced sexual relations, the pregnancy, Trish and her "bridal shower," the miscarriage—it was all coming back in a huge rush, making Lita feel dizzy and sick. Overwhelmed, Lita stuck her head under the spray of water and broke down, grateful that the shower would hide her tears.

When she finished, Lita stepped out of the shower and dried herself off, brushed her teeth, and combed out and blow dried her hair. She dressed in the clothes Anna had laid out for her—lounge pants and a T-shirt—and climbed into bed. The moment her head hit the pillow, she was asleep.

Later (she didn't know how much later) a loud pounding on the door interrupted Lita's slumber. Groaning, she pried her eyes open and rolled onto her back. "Anna? That you?" she rasped.

More pounding. Lita rolled out of bed and padded barefoot across the floor. "You lock yourself out?" she asked, unlocking the door.

Mistake. The door swung open so quickly, Lita had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit in the face.

Kane, all seven feet and three-hundred pounds of him, stormed into the room, slamming the door behind him so hard, it nearly sounded like a gunshot. His face was twisted into an ugly mask of fury, and his mismatched eyes blazed. His nostrils flared and he bared his teeth.

Lita shook in terror. The phrase _seeing your life flash in front of your eyes_ had never been more true than it was at that moment. Confronting Kane like this was the last thing she wanted to do.

"I had to hear about your miscarriage third hand from Anna while she was talking on her cell phone downstairs to her mother," Kane hissed, his voice low and deadly. "I'd have confronted that little girl, but she's weak. She'd probably die of fright. You losing the baby—MY baby—is bad enough. But for you to ask for that little Hardy bitch and pass him off as the father of my child? And to ask him to stay with you and take you home this morning?" he slammed his fist against the dresser. "That is _unacceptable!_

"You've made me very, very angry, Lita. Bad things happen when I get angry. People suffer. Do you have any idea what I'm gonna do to you?"

Lita managed to regain her composure. "What you're gonna do to me? I'll tell you what you're gonna do Kane," she fired back. "You're gonna get the fuck out of my room and let me sleep! I had the worst night of my life last night—next to having to sleep with you, of course!

"You wanna talk about suffering? Fine!" she snorted. "I'll tell you all about it, Kane. Suffering is being impregnated by a man you despise. It's having the one man you love with all your heart refuse to speak to you for weeks. And suffering is waking up knowing that you have to spend the rest of your life with a monster. So don't you _dare_ talk to me about suffering. I've suffered for way too long. And from now on, I'm going to do what I want when I want, and there's nothing you can do about it, you sick bastard!"

"You forget, Lita. I have the power to create life, and I also have the power to end it-"

"You know, Kane. I did call the right man last night. I called the baby's _daddy_. Because Matt was—and still is—more of a man than a hundred of you."

Roaring, Kane grabbed Lita by the arms and lifted her abruptly off her feet. He swung her across the room and slammed her up against the wall across the bed so hard that change jingled on the dresser. Lita's face twisted in pain and her eyes rolled back in her head as she nearly blacked out. If Kane had smashed her up against the wall any harder, her spine might have cracked. He dug his fingers cruelly into her tattooed upper arms, pulled her away from the wall, and slammed her into it again, though not as hard as before. It was just a silent warning that it could be just as hard if she angered him again.

Her head had fallen forward, for she was nearly unconscious. Sneering, Kane held her up, with her feet a few inches off the floor, as if she weigh nothing at all, thereby forcing her to consider his incredible strength. Patiently, he waited for her to catch her breath.

At last, breathing somewhat normally, she raised her head and met Kane's gaze. Her red hair had fallen across her face, and she stared through it, like a jungle cat staring through a tangle of vines. A few minutes passed, but they felt more like hours.

"I thought we were past these petty arguments," Kane said, shaking his head. Setting Lita down, he stepped back and folded his massive arms across his chest. Lita wrapped her arms around herself and shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. Another excruciating moment passed, and then Kane leered down at his bride to be, happy that she still remembered who was in charge. He reached out a massive hand and petted her hair like he was petting a cat. Every so often, he picked up a few pieces and smelled them.

"Lita," he asked softly. "Why could you not have the decency to tell me that my child was dead?"

Lita jerked her head up and glared up at. Rage hot as lava suddenly boiled up inside her, and she couldn't contain herself as she lashed out:

_"Decency? You stalked me, hurt Matt, kidnapped me, forced me to sleep with you, and tricked me into a pregnancy, and you have the nerve to accuse me of having no decency? You are one to talk! How dare you!" _She shoved Kane as hard as she could._ "You don't even know the _meaning _of the godamn word!"_

"Watch your mouth, Woman-" Kane growled, before Lita cut him off.

_"If you were the one with any decency, you would know better than to do what you've done to me. You would have left Matt and me alone and found someone else to torment! But nooooo! You decided to have me anyway! You never gave a flying crap about what it would do to everyone involved. You just cared only about yourself and your...your spawn!_

_"I was already taken, for God's sake! And you just sweep in and try to destroy us. Why? So that you could breed more of yourself? I'm not a brood mare, dammit! I had a life and a future before you, and you destroyed it!"_

"That was my baby you were carrying!"

_"And it was also MY BABY! Not just yours! It was also MINE! Have you ever had a life growing inside of you, and suddenly have it ripped away from you? Of course you wouldn't know. And you wouldn't care, either! You couldn't give me time to rest before you decided to barge in and lay into me. You have no clue what I went through last night! But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter. Because I BLAME YOU for all of this! And everything is ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT!"_

For a single crackling minute, Lita stood in front of her tormentor, closed her eyes, and caught her breath, her fury spent for the moment. She didn't care if Kane struck her or threatened her. In fact, she was beyond caring. Her anger had been quite cathartic, and she felt oddly better.

Finally she opened her eyes. To her shock, Kane was _smiling and chuckling!_ "That's the Lita I was drawn to in the first place. And I thought she was dead and buried. That's why I wanted you. Such fire. Such fight." He reached over to ruffle Lita's hair. She flinched. "Ahh, I'm going to enjoy our married life together."

Lita felt herself shrink. Kane had the unfailing ability to force her into retreat or make her shrivel up with just a look. "That baby was the only thing we had in common," she whispered, her voice wavering. "Now we don't share anything. You have no reason now to marry me."

Kane drew closer and his smile widened. "You still signed that contract, so it's still valid. Baby or no baby, I'm marrying you." Gently, he tucked a strand of hair behind Lita's ear. "And who says that we can't try again?"

_Who says that we can't try again? _Those seven words made Lita feel ant-sized and dirty. She cringed in disgust. The one time she'd gone to bed with Kane was bad enough. A second time would be beyond unbearable.

When she spoke again, her voice was small and wobbly. "Kane, can you please leave? I just wanna be alone right now."

Kane tilted his head and smirked at his reluctant bride.

"Please, Kane? Just go."

Kane lifted Lita's chin up. "I'll see you next week," he smiled. And with that, he turned around and left the room, closing the door gently behind him.

Lita waited until Kane's heavy footsteps faded from earshot, and then rushed to the door, locking it securely. As she headed back to bed, she finally broke. Throwing herself across the bed, she burst into another round of tears and cried herself to sleep.

~~~LITA~~~

"This is a trip I'll never forget," Matt sighed, as Anna plunked down in the seat across from him and Lita. It was late afternoon, and the three of them were on their way back to North Carolina. "Unfortunately, it's for all the wrong reasons."

"Don't let Lita hear that," Anna smirked.

"I don't think she heard you." Matt glanced over at Lita. She was dozing off, her head on Matt's shoulder, a jacket draped over her shoulders as a makeshift blanket. He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and gazed at her wistfully. "She's been through so much already. I don't know how much more she can take."

Anna sighed. "Who knows?" She paused. "Hey Matt, for what it's worth, I really did have a good time traveling with you guys."

"You're fun to travel with. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

"Maybe we can do this again sometime."

"We'll see," Matt nodded, leaning back in his seat as the plane began its taxi down the runway.

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Wasn't sure how to end this chapter. Felt a little abrupt to me. Kinda short and sweet and to the point, I suppose. But at least Kane knows that Lita lost the baby. A secret like that would just be too cruel to keep, and it would be very hard for me to make Lita sympathetic if she did that.**

**And, to reiterate, If anyone's interested in my opinion on Matt Hardy's situation, feel free to visit my profile. I found a quote on Facebook that sums up my feelings pretty succinctly.**

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	7. Chapter 7

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I'm gonna jump forward to the Wedding From Hell for this chapter so that I can move things along. It'll be easier for me to explain things in later chapters.**

_**Chapter Seven**_

_Anaheim Pond_

_08/23/04_

Lita sat in the private dressing room, slowly unpacking her things and trying to keep her mind off of the wedding she didn't want. She was completely by herself by choice. She had requested a private room to avoid the looks of pity and sadness on her co-workers' faces. In less than two hours, she would be married against her will to the man she hated with every fiber of her being.

If the circumstances had been different, and it was Matt that she was going to marry instead of Kane, the room would have been filled with the sounds of laughter and happy chatter, with a bridesmaid or two getting ready for the big event and hovering over Lita to make sure her hair and makeup and dress and accessories were absolutely perfect. She would glide happily down the aisle to where Matt stood, with a breathtaking smile on his face, and joyously recite the vows that would make them both husband and wife.

But it would never come to pass. This trip down the aisle would be like a walk to the the gas chambers or the electric chair. It felt more like an execution than a wedding.

A pounding on the closed door interrupted her gloomy thoughts. Lita stood up and glared; there could be only one person who'd want to see her at this point. "Get out!" she snarled.

Kane barged in, a garment bag slung over his shoulder. The Big Red Machine circled his bride-to-be and looked her up and down. Lita flinched, feeling like a piece of property.

Look I know you want me to leave," Kane began. "I know it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding. But I couldn't help it. There is nothing that is going to ruin this wedding tonight." He paused. "Our wedding. This night is very special to me, Lita. It is going to be an _all white_ affair, to signify the purity of my child that you'll be carrying. "That's why I'm going back on something I once said." Kane opened the garment bag. "That's why I want you to wear this."

With that, he pulled a wedding gown of snow-white satin out of the bag. It was rather lovely, with embroidery on the train. He chuckled as he fluffed out the full skirt.

Kane caught the look of disgust in Lita's eyes as she stared at the dress. His eyes narrowed and his voice grew sharper. "Look, I know you don't want to do this, Lita, but you're up." Another chuckle escaped him as he tilted Lita's chin up so he could stare into her face. "Because after all, it's a nice day for a white wedding."

With that, Kane turned and left, his laughter echoing down the hall.

Lita gazed down at the dress in dismay. _It's not a nice day for a wedding,_ she thought drearily. _It's more like a nice day for a funeral._

~~~LITA~~~

Meanwhile, in her own private dressing room, Trish Stratus turned this way and that in front of a full-length mirror, admiring the way her outfit played up her curves. _Perfect,_ she thought. S_ince Lita can't wear white, I figured that I could._

_Besides, she needs a maid of honor!_

A knock on the door interrupted her silent admiration. "Who is it?"

"Christian. Can I come in?"

"Door's unlocked."

Christian goggled at the sight of Trish in her maid of honor outfit. "Where are your clothes?"

"These are my clothes," Trish shot back, twirling around so that her boyfriend could get a view from every angle. "I'm gonna be Lita's maid of honor tonight. Tell me this outfit doesn't rock."

Trish wore a low cut bra of white lace that pushed her breasts up almost to her chin and displayed her cleavage. Her white lace thigh-high stockings and panties matched the bra, and her sheer lacy coat left little to the imagination.

"Uhmmm...you're not wearing that to the ceremony, are you?"

Trish looked at her boyfriend like he'd sprouted horns. "Of course I'm wearing it, Babe. Why do you think I put it on?"

Christian shook his head. "That looks like something you'd wear on a wedding night. Not to a wedding ceremony."

"I thought it was appropriate."

"What, are you trying to upstage the bride? Trish, I know you don't like Lita, but this is getting out of hand."

"What's up with you?" Trish folded her arms across her chest. "Ever since you've been back, you've been walking around like you've got a bee up your ass."

"Trish," Christian explained, closing the door behind him. "I've been trying to reconnect with you since I came back. I thought you'd be over the moon about me coming back here. But all you've been doing is running around making Lita miserable, and you've barely given me the time of day."

Trish glared at him in disgust. "When did you decide to take up for Lita all of a sudden? Last time I checked, you didn't like her any more than me!"

"Hey, I don't like Lita any more than you do. But it's like you're all...I don't know, obsessed, I guess...with making her life a living hell."

"Well it's not my fault that she decided to get knocked up with Kane's baby-"

"It's not like she chose to sleep with him. If I remember correctly, that motherfucker forced himself on her. He was gonna break her boyfriend's neck with a chair if she didn't do what he demanded of her. There's no way in Hell she'd have slept with a freak like him because she wanted to"

Trish glared at her boyfriend. "You are taking up for her, aren't you?"

"I'm just calling it as I see it." Christian shook his head in disgust. "God, I can't believe I'm actually having this conversation with you." He paused and then headed for the door. "Look, if you wanna keep getting under Lita's skin, fine. But I'm staying out of it."

"Hey, where are you going?"

"I'm going back to the hotel."

Trish chased after her boyfriend. "Wait! How am I gonna get back tonight?"

"Tyson's here. Get a ride with him. Or bum a ride off of one of your girlfriends. I'm out of here."

"Christian, come back here! We can hang out after the show! I'll even wear this to the bedroom if you want! Wait, you're walking too fast! _Christian-"_ By the time Trish turned the corner, Christian had disappeared.

Exasperated, she made a high-pitched whining noise and stamped her foot. _What the hell is up with him,_ she wondered, as she turned back towards her dressing room. _Oh, well. It's not gonna stop me from showing up tonight._

She picked up her cell phone and tapped out a number. "Hey, Tyson, it's Trish. Yeah. Okay, I guess. I'm on the other end of the building. Christian's being a prick right now. Can I get a ride back to the hotel with you..."

~~~LITA~~~

Lita gazed at her reflection in the mirror. She had slipped into the wedding gown and put on the matching veil. The dress was quite flattering, with a halter style neckline that left her shoulders bare. It was embellished with delicate white embroidery that gave the dress enough detail without it being too ostentatious. The back had a short train trimmed in white lace. It was a beautiful dress by any standards, one that Lita would have been happy to wear if the circumstances were different.

As she looked into the mirror, she thought, _This should have been Matt's and my wedding day! _Snarling in anger, she picked up a pitcher of water and hurled it into the mirror. The pitcher shattered, and water spilled everywhere.

She stepped back and let a sly smile creep across her face. _White wedding? I don't think so. _Turning away from the mirror, Lita let her gaze rest on the garment bag she'd brought with her. What was in that bag would be much more appropriate for the occasion.

~~~LITA~~~

"Man!" JR sighed, as he gazed around at the all-white floral arrangement. "Well, the ring has been...transformed."

He was right about the ring being transformed. In a few short minutes, the ring had become a wedding chapel. Everything—the carpeting on the ring, the wedding arch, the ribbons, the flowers, the instruments being played by the string quartet that had been hired to perform for this occasion—was white. Not only was it bland—but it was _blinding_ in its whiteness.

Lawler caught the tone of dismay in his colleague's voice. "That wasn't a good sign, JR."

JR shook his head in disbelief. "The Wedding From Hell is a heartbeat away, King. I can't believe this is even gonna happen."

The broadcaster's view changed to a shot of Kane strutting around backstage, resplendent in an all-white tuxedo ensemble.

"Oh my God, look at Kane!" JR spat.

"Yeah JR, but look how happy he looks."

"Is that a tuxedo?" wondered JR, watching Kane adjust the lapels on his tuxedo jacket.

"He's a great-looking groom!" Lawler beamed, as Kane took a deep breath and smiled.

"Folks, I can't believe this is actually gonna happen. But the Wedding From Hell is happening next!"

~~~LITA~~~

"Look at this beautiful ensemble that they've got here, JR!" marveled Lawler, as a pastor, dressed all in white, took his position on the stage. The quartet was playing a classical number, and the music filled the air. "I don't know who's paying for this, the parents of the bride, or...well, they've spared no expense. This is beautiful!"

"Everything's white!" JR fired back. "But it's still, in my view, the Wedding From Hell."

"Would you do me a favor?" Lawler barked in irritation. "Would you just sit here and be quiet? Act a little reverent?"

A white tuxedo clad dwarf in makeup and spiked blonde hair strutted towards the ring, carefully holding a satin pillow with a wedding band attached to it.

Upon seeing the little man, Lawler cocked an eyebrow. "Well, I guess you're right, JR. This might be a little bizarre. I guess that's the ring bearer. But at least he's smiling."

Another dwarf—this one a young woman in a white dress that was cut low and tight to show off her cleavage and ample curves and dark hair to her waist—walked happily down the aisle, tossing white petals from a little basket out into the crowd.

"That is the flower girl?" Lawler turned to his colleague. "JR, do you think those flowers might be poisonous?" A little smile creased his lips. "But then again, love is a beautiful thing."

The musical ensemble paused and then began an orchestral version Kane's theme song. At the sound of the unique musical arrangement, the crowd erupted as Kane marched proudly towards the makeshift chapel.

"Look at the big smile on Kane's face, JR. That is one happy groom." Noticing the grumpy expression on JR's face, Lawler questioned, "Why aren't you smiling? He's about to become normal."

JR shook his head.

Kane shook the hands of the pastor and the ring bearer and kissed the flower girl on the cheek. He took his position next to the pastor in happy anticipation for his bride.

Finally, the first strains of the familiar bridal chorus sounded to announce Lita's arrival. Kane's smile evaporated as he saw Lita stalk across the stage to the entrance ramp, with a hateful glare pasted across her face. Instead of the snowy-white gown he'd picked out for her, she was dressed in a black gown and veil. The white bouquet she carried stood out in sharp contrast to the black as night satin.

The music turned ominous as Kane's expression transformed from joy to smoking rage.

"What's this, JR?" Lawler asked, as Lita locked eyes with her groom-to-be. "I thought she was supposed to wear a white dress."

Aware of the fury in Kane's eyes, but choosing to ignore it, Lita continued down the aisle.

Lawler shrugged his shoulders. "I guess it's a nice contrast. Black and white."

Finally, Lita climbed up the steps to the makeshift wedding chapel. She glanced up at Kane and saw his expression change once more to that of amusement. "Somehow, I knew you wouldn't wear that dress," he chuckled softly.

The pastor cleared his throat. "Good evening," he began. "And welcome to the wedding of Kane and Lita. Tonight is a very special night as we unite these two in holy matrimony. But, before we commence, there's a man who has something very important he would like to say."

Lita glanced towards the entrance ramp in surprise. _Maybe Matt's here? _she thought hopefully. The last time she'd seen him had been three days earlier, after she'd talked to her family about her forced nuptials. He'd given her a hug and kiss goodbye as she boarded an airplane to Anaheim. He'd seemed resigned to the marriage, but perhaps he'd traveled here in secret.

"A man who is very close to both the bride and the groom. He has requested this opportunity to address you both," continued the pastor. "Kane, Lita, please welcome Eric Bischoff."

Lita's heart sank as the general manager of RAW, holding what looked like a Bible, strutted arrogantly to the top of the entrance ramp, wearing a smirk that deserved to be slapped off of his face. _And he's dressed all in white, too! You bastard!_

"First of all, I would just like to say how honored I am to be a part of this blessed occasion. And in the honor of the bride and groom, I'd like to take this opportunity to read one of my favorite passages from the Holy Bible." Bischoff slipped on a pair of reading glasses and opened the book. "It's from Ephesians 5:25."

Lita rolled her eyes. _God, and Bitchoff can't even pronounce the name of the Bible book properly!_

"Two lives, two people, so very different, yet so similar. Together we stand as one, sharing our future as it comes. The past is that past. Buds are yet to blossom, with care and trust, the best is yet to be revealed. Honesty and kindness are the fruits of love. Lord, bless this day and always to enrich us so our love may never die. Amen."

_That's not even a Bible verse!_ Lita thought in disgust as Bischoff turned and headed backstage.

The pastor continued. "Kane, Lita, while I don't know you personally, I gather it's clear to me that you have a very...unique relationship. And to illustrate this relationship to the entire world just how unique it is, I understand that the groom has put together a very special video. A video which will illustrate his love for you, Lita."

Kane gestured towards the Titantron, and Lita had no choice but to watch. It was a video showing Lita and Kane in various scenes, set to a cheesy country version of "Having My Baby." The first was a scene of her doing her entrance dance before a match. It then switched to a shot of Kane leering at her. Lita's stomach flopped sickening as she watched a scene of her taking a pregnancy test, and her heart broke when she saw the scene of Matt's aborted proposal and Kane's announcement that he'd slept with Lita. The expression of heartbreak on her face matched the devastation she felt in her heart at the moment.

Inwardly, Lita cringed as she saw a shot of Kane stroking her face and saw pictures from her ill-fated "bridal shower." No doubt the smile on Kane's face matched the one she saw splashed across the Titantron screen. There were more scenes; Kane cornering her in the ring as she tried to protect Matt; of Kane puckering up for a big kiss, and the infamous "First Kiss" that Trish had so graciously made a portrait of.

Lita felt goosebumps rise on her skin as she saw herself being held hostage in the boiler room. Adrenaline rushed through her as she watched herself get picked up in a chokeslam that Kane didn't follow through on. She watched herself slap Kane in the face, and watched herself flee backstage after the Summerslam match. The last scene was the worst. It was a shot of her cringing in terror as Kane snuck up from behind and tried to wrap his arms around her. A red heart surrounded the unhappy couple, in a cruel parody of love and romance.

When the video mercifully reached its end, Kane wiped a tear from his eye and took Lita's hand in his to kiss it. Lita yanked it back in disgust. A female voice in the audience shouted, "Run, Lita! Run! Run, girl!"

_If only it was that simple,_ Lita thought dejectedly.

The pastor caught the animosity between the couple and composed himself. "Uh...moving on, we are now ready to join you in wedlock. In the spirit of being unique, I understand that the couple has decided to write their own vows. Kane?"

Kane gazed down at his bride. "Lita, when I first chose you to carry my seed, I chose you because of your strength. I chose you because I knew you would stand up for yourself. You'd surprise me, when I thought I'd completely taken the fight out of you. And even tonight, you chose to defy me. On my special night. _Our _special night. I admire that, but even so, you need to understand one thing. Lita, I'm happy to say that you're more than just the woman who will bring my offspring into the world. You are now...my property. You are mine to do with, as I see fit. You will never know freedom, you will never again feel the embrace of another man. For there is no escape, Lita. From this day forward, until the day... you... die. You... are... _mine..."_

The pastor shuddered slightly. "Lita, would you...would you like to proceed?"

Lita fixed Kane with a glare that could take paint off a wall as she removed a piece of paper she'd tucked into the top of her wedding dress. "Kane, I hate you more than life itself," she began. "You are a vile, horrible man with no soul. And even though I have no choice but to marry you, I want to make it clear that I love, and will always love – Matt Hardy."

At the mention of Matt's name, the crowd erupted into cheers.

Kane stared at Lita, the expression on his face unreadable.

Lita continued. "The only joy I have now in life is in hoping and praying for you to suffer a horrible accident resulting in your painful and immediately death. I sincerely hope you rot in hell."

A tense moment passed. Then, to Lita's astonishment, Kane flashed his ugly smile. "That…was lovely," he said.

The pastor looked a little more unnerved. "Per—perhaps we should proceed to the end of the ceremony. Kane, Lita, it is now time to join you in matrimony." He paused. "If there is anyone here who feels that these two should not be joined in holy matrimony at this time, please speak now or forever hold your peace!"

Kane looked suspiciously towards the entrance ramp. Lita glanced around, her hope rekindled slightly. _Maybe someone's going to stop this! Matt! Please be here! Anyone! I don't want to do this!_

A pause. Then, the pastor continued. "Very well then. Lita, do you-"

Then, the unthinkable happened. Trish Stratus's music came on loud and clear through the arena.

_For the love of God, not her!_ Lita thought in humiliation. Yet another jab. _Why can't she leave me the hell alone?_

"Oh, my God!" gasped JR, as Trish appeared on the entrance ramp. The diva looked downright slutty in her bra and panties ensemble and stiletto heels. A smirk graced her pretty features as she held up a microphone.

"Guess this is a white wedding, JR!" Lawler laughed.

"I'm sorry, Father," Trish said to the pastor as she started towards the makeshift chapel. "I'm not here to stop the ceremony. I'm simply here to show my support to my…very good friend, Lita."

_Very good friend my ass! _Lita thought in fury as she glared at her nemesis.

Trish continued. "You know, I thought it was just plain terrible that on your big night, you didn't even have a maid of honor! So I thought to myself, who better…than me? She flashed a fake smile and opened up her lace coat. "I even wore white! Because I knew that you couldn't." She winked.

_Way to rub it in, Bitch! _Lita stared at the skimpy outfit, at a loss for words.

Trish had the audacity to climb the steps up to the chapel, where she stood face to face with the bride to be. "Now Lita. I personally don't believe in sex before marriage, but I wanna let you know that I support your decisions 100 percent." Lita saw the condescension in Trish's eyes and felt her blood boil. "I know that you're all nervous and confused about having to marry Kane, but I just wanna let you know that everything is gonna be just fine."

_You're not the one marrying this freak,_ Lita thought.

Trish flashed a cruel little smile. "All you have to do is open your heart...just like you opened your legs."

Lita had enough. She snarled and smacked Trish across the face with her bouquet of flowers. Before Trish could react, Lita pounced on her blonde nemesis like a cat and knocked her onto the carpeted entrance ramp, where she pounded Trish's head into the floor and punched her in the face.

"She can't do this!" Lawler shouted.

"And she's pregnant!" added JR. "A pregnant woman assaulting Trish Stratus!" Trish screamed as she tried to protect herself from Lita's furious attack.

"You bitch!" Lita shrieked at her. _"I hate you! I hate you, you fake bitch!"_

"Somebody stop them!" Lawler exclaimed.

"Well, Trish had no business being out here!" JR fired back.

"She was the maid of honor."

Quick as a flash, Kane rushed to the fighting women and dragged Lita off of Trish. "Kane restraining his future bride," JR said, as Kane hauled a struggling Lita back to the converted ring. Trish, sputtering and coughing, struggled to her feet and staggered backstage. "Lita should not be in a situation like that."

_"Come on, let's go!"_ Kane barked at the pastor.

The pastor held up a hand. "Okay. Alright. Alright." He paused briefly. "I, I think it's best for all parties that we conclude this ceremony. Lita, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Lita glanced up at her hideous groom. A leering smile was on his face as he awaited her answer. As she stared at him, she realized that she had let herself be manipulated by this man for far too long. She had allowed herself to get into a nearly impossible situation, one that she couldn't escape without help. If this wedding came to pass, she knew she would be considered helpless, weak, and pathetic. At that moment of epiphany, she suddenly understood that the only one who could help her now was herself.

_God, give me the strength!_ she prayed silently. _Help me survive! If I don't please help me at least go down swinging!_

The crowd shouted frantically, waiting for her answer. Lita squared her shoulders. Her eyes met the mismatched eyes of the man who had terrorized her for far too long. She took a deep breath and moved close to the microphone in front of her.

"NO!" she screamed.

The crowd erupted into loud cheers.

"WHAT?" Lawler shouted.

"I don't believe this!" JR gasped. "Lita just said no!"

Kane's jaw dropped in shock as he stared speechlessly at his bride. It took him a few seconds to gather his wits, and when he did, he leaned over and snarled. "You signed a contract, Lita! You'd better say I do, or I will crush you and your family and your friends. Say it, Lita! Say it! SAY IT!"

"I already said it, Kane. NO!"

Kane shook his head in anger. He clenched his fists, trying his best to keep his temper in check.

"I don't think anyone in this arena knows this," Lita started. "But last week, I had a miscarriage."

A gasp went up from the crowd.

"King, I don't know what to say," JR said, his voice suddenly quiet.

"Did Kane know about this?" wondered Lawler.

"I'm not sure."

"What it means, Kane, is that I lost the baby. And you knew that I lost it. And you didn't really care. You know, you could have let me rest and recover after it happened. But you didn't want to. You had to have your precious white wedding, and you had to have it in front of the whole world. You had to have all the control. But I guess that's not happening right now, is it?"

Kane's face began to turn red.

JR's voice was full of venom. "He knew Lita lost her baby? That bastard! If he had any decency, he would have called off this ceremony, or at the very least postponed it! What a heartless sonofabitch!"

"Well, maybe he wanted to make sure that if he and Lita tried again, they could be legitimate about it." Lawler offered, weakly.

"That's not the point, and you know it!" JR growled in disgust at his colleague. Lawler, knowing he'd said too much, fell silent.

The roaring of the crowd gave Lita the strength to continue. "As I sat alone and in agony the night it happened, I could only think of one thing. That the baby I was carrying would never have to know you as its father. And all I can say is Thank God!"

The crowd went ballistic.

"Kane, I had a good career, a man who loved me and a life I enjoyed. But then you came along, and decided that you were going to make me your property and force me to carry your seed. You didn't care that I loved someone else. You didn't give a damn about me. You didn't care about my own family, or my own life, or my own career. It was all about _you!_

"What you did to me and Matt was beyond selfish. And I was a fool to think that if I went to bed with you, you'd leave Matt and me alone. No! It was just way to sucker me in. Kane, the fact is, you forced your will on me! And tonight, you've tried it again, just to show everyone that you could."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing, JR!" Lawler ventured

"Kane, getting both barrels from his bride to be, Lita!"

Lita had the courage to draw closer. "Let me make one thing perfectly clear, Kane. I don't love you. I could never love a sick, twisted, sweaty, evil, pathetic man who is as ugly on the inside as he is on the outside. You don't deserve the privilege of being a father. And if you think for one second that I'm going to be your property until the day you die, you are dead wrong! Kane, what goes around comes around. You destroyed my life, so it's only fitting that I destroy yours!"

Finally, finished with her tirade, Lita stepped back from the microphone, her heart pounding in fearful anticipation. The look of pure rage on Kane's face told her all she needed to know. She had just humiliated her husband to be in front of a worldwide audience. The consequences were going to be swift and severe, and she knew it. But she also knew that she would never take back any of what she'd said for all the money in the world.

She closed her eyes and steeled herself for what would happen next.

And seconds later, all Hell broke loose.

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: WOW! Cliffhanger! It always happens. I plan to write one chapter, and it turns into two or three. You'll find out what happens to Lita in the next chapter. And Trish is so preoccupied with tormenting her rival that it's hurting her personal relationships. She's gonna need to quit, or it's gonna bite her on the ass!**

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter Eight**_

Kane stared at his black clad bride-to-be, his vision turning red with rage. Just moments ago, he was about to have a normal life with the woman with whom he'd been obsessed. All Lita had to do was say I do¸ like she was supposed to. The wedding would be finished and Lita would finally become his property, to do with as he wanted.

But everything had come to a screeching halt when Lita tore him apart in front of everyone:

_You didn't give a damn about me. You didn't care about my own family, or my own life, or my own career. It was all about you!_

_Kane, the fact is, you forced your will on me!_

_I don't love you._

_I could never love a sick, twisted, sweaty, evil, pathetic man who is as ugly on the inside as he is on the outside._

_You don't _deserve_ the privilege of being a father._

_If you think for one second that I'm going to be your property until the day you die, you are dead wrong!_

_Kane, what goes around comes around._

_You destroyed my life, so it's only fitting that I destroy yours!_

The venomous words of his bride-to-be rang over and over in Kane's head like a loud, disjointed chorus of bells. It was bad enough that Lita had said those vicious words to him on what was supposed to be the happiest day of his life. But for her to unleash them in front of a live audience and cut him to ribbons in front of everyone…it was beyond reprehensible.

Kane clenched his fists and locked eyes with Lita, who had snapped open her eyes. The expression of coal-black fury on his face caused her to recoil and step back in terror.

Then, he erupted. Throwing his head back, Kane bellowed like angry bull.

Cautiously, the pastor stepped back and gestured for the ring bearer and flower girl to stand behind him. "Leave," he mouthed. "Get out of here and get backstage!"

Wisely, the ring bearer climbed nimbly to the floor and assisted the flower girl. Together, they hurried up the ramp and to the safety of the backstage area. The musical ensemble did the same without being asked. One look at the trembling groom, and they all knew it wasn't a safe place to be.

"Lita!" exclaimed the pastor under his breath. "You have to get out of here! _Hurry!"_

But Lita couldn't. In spite of the inner voice that screamed, _Get out! Get away! RUN! NOW! _she stood frozen in fear, unable to make any move to protect herself.

Bravely, the pastor stepped in front of the petrified bride-to-be and tried to reason with the brutally jilted groom. "Come on! I can tell you're angry, but you don't want to hurt her! Whatever you want to do, don't do it!"

But Kane was beyond rational thought at this point. Growling, he threw a roundhouse right that knocked the pastor to the mat. As the audience screamed in horror, Kane turned his fury onto the decorations, knocking the wedding arch over. The arch crashed to the mat and broke apart, barely missing the fallen pastor, who had rolled out of the way and dropped onto the arena floor, dazed but otherwise unhurt.

"This was supposed to be a happy occasion!" Lawler exclaimed. "Lita, get out of there!"

"Kane is beyond furious," JR shouted as Kane continued to take his rage out on the set. Within moments, the carefully arranged wedding chapel of white was reduced to rubble and broken flowers. "The wedding chapel has been destroyed. And poor Lita is petrified! The jilted groom is about to take his wrath out on Lita! Save yourself, Lita! Get out of there! _Run!"_

Finally, Lita snapped out of her paralysis to move out of the way of a microphone stand that Kane had tossed like a javelin. Before she could do anything else, Kane charged at her, grabbing her by the neck in one hamlike fist.

Lita screamed as she was lifted up off the ground, her feet dangling helplessly in the air. Her hands flew to her neck and she tried desperately to pry Kane's fingers loose, but they were thick and immovable. As she met Kane's enraged gaze she inwardly shuddered and thought that this would be the end of her. That's when Kane hurled Lita down onto the mat.

Pain exploded through Lita's body as she hit the now-uncovered canvas. She felt a pop in her shoulder and the in the right side of her ribcage and realized that she must have struck something on the landing. The chokeslam had only taken a couple seconds to execute, but to her, it felt like a lifetime.

"Oh, God! NO!" exclaimed JR. "He just chokeslammed his bride-to-be straight to Hell!"

Ignoring the pain in her body, Lita struggled to get up, in a frantic attempt to crawl away from the enraged groom. She managed to crawl only a couple of feet before Kane pounced on her again. Grabbing a handful of hair, Kane hauled Lita up to her knees and forced her to look up at him.

"You BITCH!" he hissed at her before he wrapped his hands around her throat.

The crowd erupted in horrified screams. _"For the love of God, someone stop this!"_ JR pleaded.

Her face twisted in pain, Lita struggled frantically to break out of Kane's rock-iron grip. She choked and spluttered, fighting the darkness that threatened to engulf her as Kane shook her like a rag doll. Tears leaked from her clenched-shut eyes as she thought of Matt and her family and her friends. _I'll always love you, Matt!_ she thought sadly, as her vision began to fade and gray out. _I'm sorry! I love you!_

"Nooo! Get away from her!"

Suddenly, the vice-like grip around her throat released, and Lita dropped to the canvas, coughing loudly and violently as air rushed back into her lungs. A heavy thud sounded just a few inches away from her. She forced her eyes open just slightly and saw Kane lying unconscious in a sprawled heap next to her.

And standing over them both was Matt. A steel chair was clenched in his hands and a horrified expression was splashed across his face.

"Matt," Lita mouthed, watching the man she loved set the chair aside and kneel down next to her.

"Lita? Baby, I'm right here."

Lita's voice was weak. "How'd you get here?"

"Doesn't matter right now." Tenderly, Matt stroked Lita's hair. He wasn't crying, but Lita could hear the tears in his voice. "We have to get you out of here."

"It hurts, Matt. I hurt everywhere."

"I know. I'm gonna get you backstage." With the gentlest of touches, Matt gathered Lita into his arms, wincing as Lita cried out in pain. Lita rested her head on Matt's chest, and her arms slid around his neck as he picked her up and carried her bridal style.

A flock of referees surrounded Matt as he began up the entrance ramp to the backstage area. "Matt, we know you wanna take care of her, but she needs the EMTs," pleaded one of them. "She's seriously injured—"

Matt looked over at Kane's fallen form with content, and then cast a withering gaze at the refs. "_I don't want that sonofabitch anywhere NEAR her!" _he shouted angrily. The refs, knowing better than to argue, let Matt go and went to tend to the fallen Big Red Machine and the pastor.

"Matt should have let the referees get the emergency medical techs out to take care of Lita," Lawler observed, unable to think of anything clever to say at the moment. "But I guess under the circumstances, I…I can't say I blame him for wanting to take her backstage himself."

"Ladies and gentlemen," JR said, his voice very subdued. "If you've just tuned in, well…the Wedding From Hell ended in catastrophe. Lita refused to say _I do_, and then proceeded to lay into Kane, dropping a bombshell that she miscarried their child the week before, and then publically humiliating him. And Kane, for lack of a better word…_snapped._ He destroyed the ring, which had been set up for the wedding, attacked Lita, and seriously injured her."

"JR, I'll be honest," Lawler added. "If Matt Hardy had not rushed the ring and cold-cocked Kane with that steel chair, then this would have been much more tragic."

"King, I totally agree," JR nodded as Matt disappeared backstage.

~~~LITA~~~

"HELP! I NEED AN EMT! SHE'S HURT BAD!" Matt shouted frantically as he carried a semi-conscious Lita backstage. Thankfully, a group of EMTs with their equipment were already heading towards the ring, and they hurried over. One of them wheeled a stretcher over. Another EMT set a backboard on top of the stretcher and helped Matt set Lita down onto it."

"Ow!" Lita whined. "It hurts!"

"I know, Baby." Matt brushed a few strands of hair off of Lita's face. "I know it hurts, but they're gonna take good care of you."

"Don't go, Matty." Lita whispered, the pleading tone in her voice breaking Matt's heart.

"I'll be right over here," Matt reassured her. He kissed Lita's knuckles and stepped back to let the EMT's tend to his injured girlfriend.

He watched helplessly as the EMT's slipped a neck brace on Lita and strapped her carefully to the backboard. He heard bits and pieces of conversation. "…have to keep her head still. She'll be ready for transport soon…possible neck and spinal injuries…ETA will be approximately fifteen minutes."

Matt was so caught up in what the EMT's were doing that he wasn't aware of someone walking up to him. He nearly jumped when he felt the hand on his shoulder. _"What?_ Victoria! Oh, I'm sorry!"

Victoria looked like she had been crying. "Matt, I'm so sorry about Lita! I tried to talk to Bischoff earlier tonight, but he just shot me down in flames. Then Hunter just about knocked me over and—"

"It's alright," Matt hugged the diva gently.

"I just couldn't let this wedding take place and not do anything—"

"Hey, you tried, and I appreciate it."

"Mr. Hardy?"

Matt glanced down and saw the ring bearer and the flower girl standing next to him. Both of them looked concerned. "Hey, um…I don't blame you guys—"

"We're really sorry about what happened out there," the ring bearer apologized. "He just hired us to be part of the wedding."

The flower girl pressed her lips into a tight line. "If we knew how it would all end, neither one of us would have agreed to go out there," she sighed, concern painted across her features.

Matt nodded. "Thanks."

The flower girl glanced over at the EMT's. "Is she gonna be okay?"

"We're not sure yet," Victoria sighed.

The ring bearer sighed. "We've gotta go. We'll be…um, thinking about you guys."

Matt nodded and watched the two little people walk away. When they were out of sight, Matt turned to Victoria, who was sniffling and trying to keep it together. "Why don't you get Lita's stuff together? I'm gonna ride with Lita to the hospital. I have your cell number, so I'll call you when I get there and you can drop it off."

"Sure." After Victoria left, Matt leaned against a doorway and raked his fingers through his hair. His ears pricked up when he heard a familiar voice. "I don't want them both going to the same hospital. Can you take her over to Lady of Grace?"

Matt's blood began to boil as he glanced up. _"Bischoff!"_ he snarled.

The GM of RAW stepped away from the EMTs and put his hands up in self-defense. "Hey, I know you're emotional right now, Matt. But I've made sure that Kane and Lita don't go to the same hospital—"

Snarling, Matt grabbed the arrogant GM by his white sport coat and shoved him up against the nearest wall. _"That's NOT the point!"_ he spat. _"You had to make that match, didn't you? And you had the nerve to agree with that stipulation! How DARE you! You knew that Lita and I were a couple and were trying to fix things, but you didn't give a crap about that!_

_"That freak was harassing her for months, and you didn't lift a goddamn finger to protect her! She's the most popular diva on either roster, and you chose to throw her to the wolves! Why, Bischoff? WHY? You've made her life dejectedle ever since she came back to RAW! Why? Because she wouldn't pose for _Playboy_ or put out for you?"_

Bischoff gasped and shook his head. "Matt, it's not like that—"

_"It is, Pal! And YOU, and the entire RAW roster know it! You're just like Trish! You'll do anything to get under her skin!"_

"Okay, Matt. I'm going to ignore that tirade because it's clear to me that you are extremely upset right now."

Matt let go of Bischoff. "Way to point that out, Captain Obvious!"

Bischoff straightened out his sport coat. "I'll ignore that lack of respect too. Matt, you know me. You know how I run a business. I allowed that stipulation in the match because of the controversy I knew it would generate. Controversy puts butts in the seats and food on everyone's table. Controversy also signs your paychecks and covers your travel expenses, even the travel expenses of that little blonde pipsqueak who followed you guys around last week like a puppy dog."

"I'll ignore that insult. And that's not true, anyway. Her aunt and uncle paid for her expenses. You only had to get the backstage pass for her."

"Matt, to put it bluntly, controversy creates cash!"

"Well, your precious controversy nearly cost the woman I love her life!"

For a single crackling moment, Matt looked ready to hit the GM. He stopped himself because he knew Bischoff would not ignore a punch to the face. Besides, the EMT's were ready to transport Lita, and he was riding with her in the ambulance.

Finally, Bischoff said, "Matt, if it's any consolation, I instructed the EMT's to take Lita over to Lady of Grace Hospital. It's not the hospital we normally take injured wrestlers to in this city, but I thought that Kane should be kept away from Lita as much as possible right now."

"Whatever," Matt said coldly, before he followed the EMT's down the hall and out the door to the waiting ambulance.

~~~LITA~~~

"God, I'm so sorry that Anna had to watch that!" Matt said to Anna's uncle back in North Carolina. He was in the ER waiting room at Our Lady Of Grace Hospital, and he was feeling a weird déjà vu. He'd spent the past hour and a half making calls to Lita's family as well as some other acquaintances, and only now was he able to touch base with Anna's family.

Ross Peterson's voice sounded tinny over Matt's cell phone. "She was absolutely hysterical, Matt. Delaney had to give Anna one of her Valiums to calm her down. Even after you came out of the crowd and took Lita backstage, she was still beside herself." He paused. "So, I know you made the trip to Anaheim last night in secret. But how did you manage to get into the arena?"

Matt shifted around on the vinyl couch he was seated on. "I'm active talent and under contract, so I basically have a free pass to the arena. But I couldn't hang out backstage because I was afraid that Bitchoff would pull some stunt to kick me out of the building. You know what kind of boss he is."

"I do." Ross chuckled. He had heard enough horror stories from Lita and Matt to know what Bischoff was capable of doing. "So, is there any word about Lita right now?"

"She's still in the Emergency Room. Doctors are working on her. She was conscious when they brought her in, which I'm gonna take as a good thing. So, is Anna able to talk right now? I just wanna try to comfort her if I can."

"She's asleep right now, Matt. But Del and I will make sure she gets to talk to you tomorrow when she wakes up. Keep us posted, okay?"

"I will, Ross. Good night to you."

Matt ended the call and put his cell phone back in his pants pocket, just as a boyish looking doctor stepped into the waiting room. "Mr. Hardy?"

Matt stood up quickly. "Yes!"

"Hi, I'm Doctor Lofglun, I'm the ER doctor tonight. I take it you're here for Lita?"

"I am. How is she?"

"I can't really discuss her condition with anyone outside of her immediate family—"

"Well, her mom's on her way here. I called her."

Dr. Lofglun nodded and gestured for Matt to follow him down a hallway to a quiet spot outside of the waiting room. "I could get into very serious trouble if I was caught discussing patients with someone outside of the family, but I will go ahead and bring you up to speed as long as you do not say anything." Matt nodded. "Okay. Lita's in serious but stable condition. She's got a partially separated shoulder and two cracked ribs on the right side. One of them actually punctured a lung."

Matt flinched.

Dr. Lofglun caught the look of anxiety on Matt's face. "The injury was actually not as serious as we first thought," reassured the doctor. "She's taped up, and she has a chest tube, but we should be able to take that out fairly soon. We had some concerns about her neck and her throat. She has bruises, and we want to watch her for a few days to make sure her larynx doesn't swell up and cause difficulty breathing."

"Is she gonna be okay?"

"As long as there aren't any complications, she should make a full recovery."

Matt sighed in relief. "Can I see her?"

The doctor ushered Matt down the hallway. "She's in ICU right now. We have her sedated so she can rest, so she may not know you're there. But I don't see why you couldn't go in for a few minutes…"

~~~LITA~~~

Matt's heart broke when he entered the ICU. Lita lay on the hospital bed, propped up with pillows, an oxygen mask over her mouth and nose. Tubes and wires ran from her arms and chest, connecting her to the various monitors and IV's around her. Her eyes were closed, and her face was pale. She looked like a broken doll.

With a lump in his throat, Matt pulled up a chair and took one of Lita's hands in his. Gently, he ran his thumb across her knuckles and kissed them. "Hi, Baby," he managed. "I'm right here."

Finally, Matt let his emotions get the best of him. Leaning across the hospital bed, he closed his eyes and softly began to cry until he drifted off to sleep. The nurse on duty was careful to work around Matt as she checked Lita's vital signs. Normally, she would request that a visitor leave, especially when it was so late, but she just didn't have the heart to ask him to go.

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Yet another creative spurt. I couldn't leave you all hanging, especially after that cliffhanger from the previous chapter. Victoria did try to stop the wedding on the 8/23/04 RAW episode, so I wanted to incorporate that into this chapter. At least Lita's safe for the moment, but there's gonna be plenty of fallout from this wedding disaster later on.**

**BTW, when Lita came back to RAW in 2003, Bischoff tried to sexually harass her and coerce her into posing for Playboy. When Lita refused, Eric fired her. I figured that Eric would still have some hard feelings as a result of that after she returned, so that's why he is such a prick in this story.**

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter Nine**_

_Lita struggled to break out of Kane's rock iron grip as he yanked her off of Trish and dragged her back to the makeshift wedding chapel. "Come on, let's go!" he barked._

_The pastor held up a hand as soon as the bride and groom had resituated themselves. "Okay. Alright. Alright." He paused briefly. "I, I think it's best for all parties that we conclude this ceremony. Lita, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"_

_Lita glanced up at her hideous groom. A leering smile was on his face as he awaited her answer. Every fiber of her being screamed,_ NO! Don't do this! Tell him NO! You've let this monster manipulate you for way too long! This is your last chance, Lita! Don't do this!

_Lita moved in close so that she could be heard. She took a deep breath and gave her answer:_

_"I...I do."_

NO! That wasn't supposed to be my answer! I never wanted to marry this bastard! I miscarried, for God's sake! I don't have a reason to marry him anymore! I'm not carrying his...

...baby?

_Lita glanced down at her belly. Pressing a hand to it, she was suddenly aware of movement and stared down in wide-eyed shock._

_"...Kane, do you take this woman..." the pastor droned as Lita looked up in terror and Kane leered down at her. The smile on his face made her sick._

No! This isn't happening! I meant to say NO! _Lita tried to shout in protest, but the words were stuck in her throat. _Pastor, I don't wanna marry him! Please stop this ceremony!

_"...to be your lawfully wedded wife?"_

No! No! Stop! I don't wanna do this! _Lita's eyes darted to the entrance ramp, hoping desperately that someone would come out and stop this abomination. The ramp was empty. Trying desperately not to hyperventilate, Lita looked over at the pastor as he droned on. _Okay, stay calm! Just watch him talk. Just watch his mouth form the words. Don't panic!

_"...For richer, for poorer..."_

NO! STOP! There's been a mistake! I can't possibly be pregnant! This has to be a mistake!

_"...In sickness and in health..."_

I can't stay calm! Please! I can't do this! I was in the hospital for God's sake! Matt stayed the night! Anna got pulled over by a cop in Canada! This has got to be a mistake!

_"...till death do you part?"_

_Lita raked her fingers through her hair in sick anticipation for her husband-to-be's response. Kane stood over her, a superior look on his ugly face. The tension was unbearable._

_Suddenly, a familiar piece of music blasted through the arena, sending the crowd into a frenzy._

_Kane glanced over in annoyance at the top of the entrance ramp in anticipation for his nemesis to show up._"Hardy!"_he growled, his annoyance turning into rage._"How dare you interrupt! Show yourself!"

_Gasping in surprise and joy, Lita spun around to wait for her rescuer. _Matt! You came back for me! I knew you'd be here! _She had to clap her hands over her mouth to keep from shouting._

"Where are you, Hardy?" _Kane bellowed, stepping out of the converted ring. He began to walk back up the ramp, shouting_ "Come on and end this, you pathetic fool! Come on! Come on!"

_Kane stopped and waited, trying to keep a lid on his barely seething temper. _"You must've changed your mind, Hardy! Guess you really don't like damaged goods after all-"

_It happened in an instant. A blur of dark hair and cargo pants leaped at the Big Red Machine just as he was turning to go back to the altar and knocked him down to the floor. A flurry of fists battered the tuxedo-clad man before he was able to recover his wits. The crowd erupted as they recognized the attacker._

"Get away from Lita, you freak!"

_Matt shoved Kane into one of the ring posts and came after him. He nailed him with a boot to the midsection, and hit his signature Twist of Fate move on his nemesis. Kane dropped to the floor like a bag of potatoes, stunned and half-conscious._

_"Matt! You came back!" Lita shouted. It was all she could do to keep from jumping for joy like a little girl._

_Matt staggered up the steps, rubbing the back of his head. . "I couldn't let him do this! Let's get the hell out here!"_

_Taking Lita by the hand, Matt rushed down the steps and out of the ring. They got halfway up the ramp when they turned around. Kane was beginning to stir._

"Lita! Come on!" _Matt exclaimed, just as his nemesis stood up._

WHOOSH! _A sudden blast of heat caused Matt to stagger back and Lita to lose her balance and fall to her knees. When they both glanced up, a wall of fire had suddenly erupted, blocking Matt and Lita's escape._

Kane climbed to his feet and stalked over to the fallen couple.

_Matt tried to help Lita back to her feet. "We can make a run for it! Get up! Hurry!"_

_Lita struggled. "My foot's stuck! I can't get up!"_

_Matt managed to get his girlfriend to struggle back to her feet when Kane reached them. Bellowing, Kane threw a roundhouse right that Matt ducked out of the way of. In her attempt to escape the fisticuffs, Lita lost her balance again and dropped to her knees. With as much fury as he could muster, Matt slugged the Big Red Machine several times, causing the groom-to-be to stagger back._

"You're not taking her away from me again!" _snarled Matt as he rushed his nemesis._

_Mistake_

Kane lifted up his leg and caught Matt in the face with the heel of his dress boot. The blow knocked Matt down onto the entrance ramp, dazed and clutching the back of his head from where he'd landed.

_"Matt!" screamed Lita. "Get up! Hurry!"_

_Matt climbed unsteadily to his feet, unwilling to give up the fight. But Kane was waiting for him. As soon as he came after him, Kane grabbed him by the shirt and tossed him onto the stage. Matt nearly fell, but he grabbed the podium that was on the stage for support._

_Matt glanced up in time to stare up into Kane's ugly face._

_"Try to ruin my wedding night, will you?"_

_With those words, Kane grabbed Matt around the throat in one hamlike fist and lifted him up off the ground. Matt tried in terror to pry off the fingers that had a near death grip on his neck._

_"She's my property now!"_

_Lita managed to climb to her feet and rushed up the entrance ramp._"NO! PUT HIM DOWN!"_ she screamed._

_Kane locked eyes with his horrified bride-to-be. "I do!" he laughed loudly, before he tossed Matt like a rag doll off the stage and onto the floor some fifteen feet below. Matt's body hit the ground with a sickening thud amid the horrified shouting of the fans._

_"MATTY! _NOOOOO!" _screaming and sobbing, Lita crawled to the edge of the stage. Matt lay limp and unresponsive. She couldn't tell if he was unconscious or-_

_"He can't save you now, Lita. I've sent him to the depths of Hell."_

_"You bastard! I hate you!" Lita wailed as Kane dragged her by the arm back to the makeshift chapel._

_"I don't care," Kane shot back, smiling. In spite of the fight Lita continued to put up, Kane knew he had finally broken his bride._

_"What are you waiting for?" Kane barked at the pastor. "LET'S GO! LET'S FINISH THIS!"_

_The pastor looked scared to death. "Kane, do you take Lita to be your wife?"_

_Incredibly, Kane took the time to straighten out his tie and adjust his tuxedo jacket. He glanced down at Lita and saw the broken look in her eyes. A smile creased his lips as he said, "I DO!"_

_"Then by the power vested in me," stammered the pastor, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You—you can kiss the bride!"_

_It was all Lita could do to keep from fainting as Kane bent down and pressed his lips against hers. Then, one last surge of fight welled up in her and she flailed her arms and struggled._

_But it was too late._

_Kane's pyro lit up the arena in reds and oranges, and his God-awful theme music blasted through the speakers. Proudly, Kane led his new wife down the steps off the altar before he stopped and swooped her up in his arms._

_Lita sagged in Kane's grip as he carried her up the ramp. He stopped and turned around and said, "Look down, Lita."_

_Dazed, Lita glanced down and began to cry at the sight of the EMT's who were swarming around Matt's broken, fallen form. He had risked his life to try and save her, but it hadn't been enough. Matt was obviously hurt, and hurt badly._

_"Say good-bye to your boyfriend," Kane chuckled, his breath cold on Lita's skin. "You're mine now."_

_"No," sobbed Lita, completely shattered. "No...no...no..."_

~~~LITA~~~

"No...no...no," Lita whimpered as her eyes slowly opened and she became aware of her surroundings. She was lying in a hospital bed with her head propped up on some pillows. She was covered with warm, scratchy hospital sheets and a light blanket. An IV was plugged into the back of her hand, and an oxygen mask covered her mouth and nose. A heart monitor quietly bleeped away to her right. Her shoulder throbbed and her throat ached, but those aches were nothing compared to the glassy hot pain she felt in her ribs.

Lita tried to take a breath and whimpered. The pain suddenly felt like a white-hot dagger sliding through her ribs. She turned her head to the side and noticed someone fast asleep, his body stretched out as much as the chair he sat in would allow. It took a moment to recognize who was in her room.

"Matty?" she croaked.

Matt sighed, stirred and opened his eyes. He sat up and yawned, his eyes squeezing to slits in the process. A weary smile crossed his face. "You're awake," he said, pulling the chair up close and sitting back down. He reached over and took the mask off of Lita's face.

"Where am I?" Lita managed, her voice hoarse.

"You're in the hospital," Matt said, gently stroking the side of Lita's face. "You remember what happened?"

Lita closed her eyes and nodded. "Kane almost killed me."

"You got hurt pretty bad. You tore him a new one out there last night."

"But I wouldn't take back anything I said to him," Lita sighed. "He deserved it."

Matt couldn't help but smirk. Lita was right about that. "I called your mom, and she's on her way here."

"God, she must be freaking out right now."

"She's got every right to freak out. She's your mom."

Lita chuckled silently, and winced at the pain in her side.

"Don't talk too much. Your ribs got cracked, and your lung got punctured." Matt moved his chair so that he could be as close to Lita as possible. Lita sighed and leaned into him. "God, if Kane had done worse to you, I'd never forgive myself."

"How'd you get into the arena?"

"I'm active talent. I flew out here day before yesterday. I had to sneak into the crowd though. If I went backstage, Bitchoff probably would have kicked me out."

"I'm glad you came back."

"I wouldn't leave you in a million years, Lita. And I couldn't let Kane marry you. Especially after what you've been through."

Lita sniffled and moved as close to Matt as her injured body would allow. "I had this awful dream. I was still pregnant, and I said I do to Kane. Then you showed up and beat up Kane, but when you and I tried to escape, there was this wall of fire, and then Kane grabbed you and tossed you off the stage." Tears leaked from Lita's eyes and spilled down her cheeks. "He was laughing as he carried me away."

Matt shuddered as he wrapped his arms around Lita gently so as not to cause her any further discomfort. Even though Lita's ribs had been taped up, he could tell that she was in considerable pain. "He's not gonna bother you anymore. There's policemen at the door in case he gets any ideas." He tucked a strand of hair behind Lita's ear. "You're safe."

_For now, _Lita thought dismally as she rested against Matt's chest. _I know he'll come after me. He'll come after both Matt and me. And this time, he won't want to possess me._

_He'll want to destroy me._

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: This one was a little shorter than I would have liked, but I'm not the type to drag stuff out. I was going to include a scene with Trish, Tyson and Christian, but I think I want more time to work on it first. I don't like to post stuff that I think is gonna be half-assed.**

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	10. Chapter 10

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: This story's gonna veer off into MAJOR alternate universe territory now.**

_**Chapter Ten**_

_Anaheim, CA_

_8/24/2004_

"I think I should pounce on Jericho during the Highlight Reel next week," Christian explained over breakfast to Tyson and Trish the next morning at the local Denny's. Tyson and Christian were monopolizing the conversation, leaving Trish to sit quietly and eat her poached egg and toast breakfast (which was fine by her—she was still reeling over the events from last night, and she didn't feel much like talking). "Just to let everyone know I'm back."

"Are you sure you're at 100 percent?" Tyson asked before spearing a sausage link with his fork.

Christian flashed his Problem Solver a reassuring smile. "Tyson, I feel better now than I have in years. I can't wait to get back in in the ring." He paused, and then picked up a slice of toast. "Now if Bischoff would give me something productive to do instead of spending all his time with Evolution and that ridiculous Diva Search, I'd be a happy camper. Those Evolution guys hate not being in the spotlight, don't they?"

"Well, it's because Bischoff doesn't really do anything to stop them," Tyson answered back. "It bugs the hell out of me."

"Well, in case you're interested, he might not have a GM job when it's all said and done."

"What are you talking about, Christian? I know the hotel was kinda buzzing last night and this morning with Kane going postal at his wedding and putting Lita in the hospital. What would that have to do with Bischoff's job?"

"Rumor has it that upper management's furious with Bischoff because of the way he handled Kane stalking Lita," said Christian before taking a bite out of his toast slice. After finishing the bite, he continued. "Something about personal safety of the talent, something like that. The Wedding From Hell was the last straw, I guess. Bischoff may be hitting the pavement when the dust settles."

Tyson reached for the pot of coffee in the middle of the table and refreshed his cup. "Then who's gonna be RAW GM if he's fired?"

"She hasn't been on TV for almost a year, but Calaway's wife is on the top of the list."

Tyson's eyes widened and he nearly dropped the coffee pot. _"Stephanie? _She's Vince McMahon's daughter! She's a bitch on heels!"

Christian smirked. "Only if you disrespect her. Otherwise, she's a good boss. She's honest, and she's fair."

Tyson tilted his head and looked across the table at his companion. "I thought she was married to Hunter."

"That was all storyline. She married Mark five years ago. Took over her dad's company at the tender age of twenty-two. Vince is just the figurehead. If you go to Vince to discuss a problem, you're actually talking to Stephanie and Calaway by proxy. He and her mom keep her in the know. I should know all about this, because I was just starting out in the WWE when it all went down."

"What can Stephanie possibly do?" snorted Tyson.

"She can make sure Evolution doesn't hog all the air time for one. She'll make sure the worthwhile opponents get title shots. She'll wrap up that ridiculous Diva Search crap. And she'll make sure Kane gets punished for harming the talent. Lita in particular." Christian paused. He was no longer friends with Lita (the ill-fated bet with Chris Jericho had killed that friendship), but something about what she had been going through the past several months made his blood boil. "All Bischoff had to do was trade Kane to Smackdown, or at least help Lita get a restraining order. And after Kane hurt Shawn Michaels, he should have suspended the guy!

"Michaels is a cash cow for this company, Kane takes him out, and Bischoff doesn't do a damn thing! And what the hell was the point of Bischoff allowing that big red freak to harass his most popular diva? I mean, Hardy was doing his best, but he could only do so much." Christian slammed his fist on the table. "Bischoff is so hung up on his precious controversy-creates-cash nonsense, that he doesn't see what's going on with his roster outside of Evolution. It pisses me off!"

Trish pushed her now-empty plate aside and rose from the table. Her face was pale. "Excuse me, please."

Christian lay his hand gently on his girlfriend's shoulder, his face a picture of concern. "Trish, are you okay?"

"I'm sorry, Guys. I have to step out for a minute."

"Trish?" Christian watched his girlfriend head outside and got up himself. "Sorry, Tyson. I'll be right back. Don't drink all the coffee, okay?"

~~~LITA~~~

When Christian caught up to Trish, she was sitting on a bench outside the restaurant. "Trish," he ventured carefully, sitting down beside her. "Talk to me, Trish. What's wrong?"

Trish shook her head, not looking at her boyfriend. "I still can't believe she lost her baby last week."

Christian snorted. "I'm surprised you're not doing cartwheels right now," he said, without thinking.

Trish cocked an eyebrow and stared quizzically at her boyfriend. "Cartwheels? I don't understand."

Christian folded his arms across his chest. He wanted to wait to bring this up, but something told him that he couldn't wait any longer. "That Wedding From Hell made the papers this morning. Sports section. Lita's in Intensive Care right now. She's got cracked ribs, a punctured lung, and a separated shoulder."

"Oh, my god!" Trish gasped. She knew that Lita had been injured, but she didn't realize how seriously.

"She's gonna be out of commission for a while. She'll probably take some time off to get her head straight and to get over everything that's happened to her. Losing her baby, the kidnapping, the stalking. All of it." Christian narrowed his eyes. "Are you happy, Trish?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I think you know," Christian answered, getting up off the bench. "You've almost made it your life's work to make Lita's life dejectedle. Well now, she lost her baby, Kane nearly killed her last night and put her in the hospital, and she won't be able to compete for as long as it's gonna take her to heal up." A pause, as Christian began to pace back and forth. "Y'know, with the way you've been acting recently, I'm actually shocked that you aren't laughing and celebrating."

Trish gasped and climbed off the bench. "Why the hell would you imply that I'd celebrate something like that?" she exclaimed.

"I don't know," spat Christian. "Maybe it was that 'Bridal Shower' you held just to imply that Lita's a slut. Or maybe it was you strutting down the aisle last night wearing that 'maid of honor' outfit to upstage her. I don't know what the hell your problem is, but all you've been doing since I came back here is revel in Lita's misery at the expense of our relationship! You've turned your back on me because you're too busy tormenting your rival!"

Trish glared hotly at her boyfriend. "You're taking up for her again, aren't you?"

"I am NOT taking up for her!" Christian fired back, surprised at how loud and how sharp his voice sounded. "I'm just telling you what I'm seeing here, and frankly Trish, it's pissing me off! I'm looking at a self-absorbed, selfish, preoccupied woman who's treating the guy who loves her like dirt! I don't know if you remember this Trish, but I gave up everything that meant something to me for you! That's how much you meant to me, and still do!"

Trish looked vastly uncomfortable as Christian continued his tirade. "When everyone else was calling you a slut, I was the only one who defended you. The only one!Hell, the reason why I got hurt and had to go to rehab was because I was defending your honor! And after I got hurt, I brought Tyson in to watch your back so you wouldn't get hurt. I could have left you to the wolves, but I didn't because I cared that much about you."

"And I appreciate that, Christian! Really, I do!"

"I trashed my reputation, threw away my morals, and made a complete ass of myself because you were that important to me. Well, I guess I was wrong, Trish!" Christian shook his head in disgust. "Maybe you're really not that important anymore. After all, if you care more about someone else's misery than our relationship, then I probably don't matter that much to you." With that, he began to walk back to the restaurant. "Because right now, you sure as hell don't matter that much to me."

Trish chased after her boyfriend, panicked. "Christian, stop! No! Wait! I'm—I'm sorry!"

Christian turned and looked at Trish coolly.

"Christian, Lita is my rival, " Trish admitted, her voice breaking. "I don't like her, and that much is true. But I would never wish for her to lose her baby! I was just as shocked and surprised as everyone else last night! If I'd have known about that, I never would have gone out there!"

"Well, nobody knew about it until last night, and you went out there anyway," Christian fired back.

"Dammit, Christian! If I knew how it would all end, I wouldn't have gone out there in the first place. Of course I'm gonna antagonize Lita. She's my _competition_, for God's sake! But for you to imply that I'd be happy that Lita's hurt and in the hospital? That's horrible!"

Christian sighed and carefully approached his girlfriend. "Trish, with the way that you've been behaving as of late," he said softly, "It wouldn't have surprised me."

"I wouldn't wish what happened to Lita on my worst enemy, Christian!" Trish felt a lump come to her throat. "Oh, God! This is such a trainwreck," she gasped, feeling hot tears begin to prickle her eyes. "I just wanted to get under Lita's skin, and I've let this get out of control," she began to sob. "You probably hate me right now."

With that, Trish wrapped her arms around herself and hung her head, crying softly. She wasn't aware that Christian was holding her until he pulled her close and gently kissed the top of her head.

"Trish, I don't hate you. I just hate what you've turned into."

Trish nodded. "Baby, I'm sorry. I've been tormenting Lita so much now, it's become a habit."

"Well, it's a habit you really need to break." Christian ran his thumb gently along Trish's jaw. "I just want you back, Trish. Not the selfish, self-centered bully Trish." Christian lifted his girlfriend's face up to his. A sad smile was on his face. "I want the Trish I fell in love with and made a fool of myself for. I'm scared to death that she's not there anymore. I just wanna know if she's still there. Is she?"

Trish sighed. "She is. It's just gonna take me some time to find her is all," she whispered as she snuggled into her boyfriend's embrace.

~~~LITA~~~

_Cameron, NC_

_8/30/2004_

"I know, Jeff. We saw the news on the website," said Anna on the cordless phone to Matt's baby brother as she dropped a Lemon Zinger tea bag into a mug of water and put the mug into the microwave. She was in the kitchen at Matt's house (she'd moved in temporarily to take care of a recuperating Lita). "Yeah, Bitchoff's gone. Well, he's not necessarily fired, but he's been suspended indefinitely. I think it has everything to do with what happened last week. If it isn't, it's probably on the short list of reasons."

Anna plunked down into a kitchen chair and gave Matt's little dog Lucas a scratch behind the ears when he came up to say hello. "I don't know who they're gonna announce as his replacement. Yeah, I think Stephanie would be a great choice," she continued. Although she didn't know Taker's wife personally, she thought the former Women's Champion was a hard-working, honest, standup type. "She kicked some butt on Smackdown last year. We'll just have to wait and see, though. They have to make a decision sooner than later. Oh, yeah, Lita's watching TV right now. You wanna talk to her? Sure. Hold on."

Anna headed into the living room, cordless phone in hand, and Lucas trotting along at her heels. "Hey, Lita. You up to talking on the phone?"

Lita, who was stretched out on the couch channel surfing, set the remote down on the coffee table with her left hand (her right arm was in a sling). "Who is it?"

"Jeff."

"Yes! I haven't really talked to him, he must be worried sick! Thanks!" Lita took the cordless from Anna. "Hi, Jeff. How's TNA treating you..." she said, her voice tired but happy.

Anna scooped Lucas up and carried him back into the kitchen, leaving her friend to talk to Matt's little brother. "I'm not a dog person," she told Lucas as she ruffled his soft white fur, "But you're definitely on my short list of favorite dogs."

A little smile perked up her lips as she set Lucas down and took the mug out of the microwave. "Watch out, Buddy," she warned the little dog gently as she carried the hot mug of tea into the living room. She respectfully waited until Lita finished the phone call before handing her the tea.

"Here you go. Hope this isn't too hot," Anna said, before she plunked down on the loveseat adjacent to the couch her friend was resting on. Lita had been released from the hospital two days earlier, after Dr. Lofglun gave her permission to travel. Matt had made sure Lita was settled in his house before heading out to San Francisco for the RAW taping, leaving Anna (and Jeff and Shannon, when their busy schedules would allow) to hold down the fort.

"It's perfect, thanks." sighed Lita, taking the cup of Lemon Zinger from her friend and taking a sip. She took another and used it to wash down a prescription Motrin pill.

"You still hurting?" Anna ventured, picking up a chew toy and giving it to Lucas, who'd followed her into the living room.

"Not as much," Lita answered. The Motrin that Dr. Lofglun had prescribed her was doing its job keeping the pain in her shoulder and her healing ribs at bay. The breathing exercises she was instructed to do each day kept her lungs properly inflated, and a regimen of simple range of motion exercises kept her joints from becoming stiff. They were a far cry from the strenuous workouts she normally put herself through, but they did their job in helping Lita recover more quickly.

Anna picked up the TV remote and switched the channel to Spike TV. "Who do you think's gonna be the new GM tonight?"

"I don't know, anybody but Bitchoff!" Lita answered, emphatically. She and Anna were overjoyed after reading of Bischoff's indefinite suspension (without pay) on the WWE website. The article had listed several reasons for Bischoff's suspension, with the main one being his mishandling of Kane's harassment of Lita. So much for controversy creating cash. In this instance, controversy had created unemployment.

"Well, you won't have to worry about seeing his smug face for a while. Let's see how this all plays out..."

They would have to wait until the second half of the broadcast. Anna and Lita watched a segment with Evolution, a handicap tag match, and a God-awful "Dis the Diva" segment (which led into a discussion between Lita and Anna about why Carmella wasn't just eliminated instead of embarrassed on TV) before they were about to give up and check the website for the announcement. But then, JR made the announcement, and they both turned back to the TV and waited with bated breath.

~~~LITA~~~

_San Francisco, CA_

_8/30/2004_

"...I really appreciate you giving me the chance to talk to the fans," Matt said to the interim GM in their temporary office backstage. "They've been worried sick about Lita. I'll try not to take up too much time out there." He paused, and then added, cautiously, "Can you find some way to break that contract? I'll try to understand if you can't..."

Once the conversation concluded, Matt stepped out of the office and walked down the hall to the locker room. A weary sigh escaped his lips. The past week had been stressful, and he appreciated the interim General Manager giving him the night off.

~~~LITA~~~

At ringside, Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler provided commentary.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, the news broke just a few hours ago on the WWE website. Eric Bischoff, the General Manager of RAW, has been suspended indefinitely. It was an executive level decision, and he was suspended for several reasons. The main reason cited was endangerment of active talent. This stemmed from the way Bischoff handled, or more appropriately, mishandled, the situation between Kane, Lita, and Matt Hardy.

"Last week, if you recall, the Wedding From Hell took place. Kane, was supposed to marry Lita, according to the stipulation of the 'Death Do Us Part' match at Summerslam, in which Lita would marry the winner of said match. During the ceremony, Lita refused to marry Kane, and proceeded to reveal that she had suffered a miscarriage the week before. Lita then publically humiliated her would-be husband, resulting in Kane going ballistic and attacking her, leaving her seriously injured.

"That wedding ended in disaster, JR! I think we can all agree with that." Lawler remarked.

"Absolutely, King," nodded JR. "The last few images of last week's broadcast, with Matt carrying a semi-conscious Lita backstage to the EMT's is still in my mind like it happened yesterday. Hopefully though, Lita will make a full recovery and be back in action soon. And I also hope that the interim GM, whoever he or she is, will address this situation and make sure that nothing like that happens in the future..."

Lillian Garcia stepped into the ring and picked up a microphone.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," she announced, "It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you all, the interim General Manager of Monday Night RAW. Coming down the aisle is the the co-owner of the WWE..." At that moment, the arena lights turned low, and "Superstar" by Saliva started playing.

Upon hearing the music, the crowd erupted, and Lillian announced, "...Stephanie McMahon!"

_"She's back! After a year-long absence! And this capacity crowd is on its feet!"_ JR shouted, as Stephanie appeared on the entrance ramp towards the ring in a black leather motorcycle jacket over a pink Harley Davidson tank top. She wore ripped, faded jeans and black biker boots with chunky heels. The crowd was on their feet as they greeted their new General Manager.

"Listen to this ovation, JR!"

"She and her husband became the principal owners of this company five and a half years ago," JR explained to the viewing audience as Stephanie climbed into the ring and acknowledged the live crowd.

"JR, we watched her grow up on TV, and she's turned out to be a helluva businesswoman!"

"Not only is she a great businesswoman, but she is also a great ambassador for this sport. Former Women's Champion, former GM of Smackdown. She has a reputation for being a hard nose. And if anyone can right the ship on RAW, it's that woman right there!"

Stephanie smiled as she graciously took the microphone from Lillian .

"I take a year off," she exclaimed. "And I come back to this?" The crowd roared, and Stephanie shook her head in mock dismay. "Y'know, I can't even begin to describe the current situation around here without using the word _cluster_ somewhere!"

The audience roared again, and JR and King laughed.

"Ain't that the truth!" JR chuckled.

"I really, really have my work cut out for me, and I'm gonna kick this off by addressing what I think is the most important issue . I come back to find out that the top diva on RAW landed in the hospital because the guy she was forced to marry had a conniption fit just because she said no."

"I think 'conniption fit' is an understatement," Lawler remarked.

"And if that wasn't bad enough," continued Stephanie, "The guy she thought had her best interests at heart chose to look the other way. And if he had been doing his job like he was supposed to, instead of kissing up to Evolution or ogling the Diva Search girls, well...let's just say we wouldn't be having this conversation, and I'd still be lying on a beach in a bikini somewhere, sipping an umbrella drink."

"I think I know where this is going, JR."

"I think I know too, and I don't blame her."

"And yes, I'm talking about Eric Bischoff. In case you haven't visited the WWE website, Mr. Bischoff, as of this afternoon, was placed on indefinite suspension due to misconduct and failure to protect his talent. Just because Lita wouldn't pose for _Playboy_ or give Mr. Bischoff sexual favors doesn't give him permission to give Kane a free pass to run roughshod all over Lita and her boyfriend!"

The crowd shouted in appreciation as Stephanie continued. "And speaking of Lita, I think we've all been worried about her for the past week. In fact, so many members of the WWE Universe visited the website the other day to wish Lita a speedy recovery, they crashed the server. Which tells me how much this audience cares about her. So, without further adieu, I'd like to ask Lita's significant other to come out here and fill us all in with what's going on with her, and what's going on with him."

"It's been a tough week for Matt and Lita," said JR as Matt Hardy walked towards the ring to his entrance music and the roar of the audience. "And there's a Matt Fact on the screen that says, 'Matt and Lita appreciate your love and support this week.'"

"Wow, watching that vicious attack on Lita last week was difficult enough," added Lawler. "But to be Matt, and have to watch that up close and in person, and then carry the woman you love backstage so she can be treated by a bunch of EMT's? I don't know how he's keeping it together. JR, I really can't get my head around all of it."

Stephanie handed the microphone off to Matt and stepped back a respectful distance.

"Thank you," Matt started off, with a weary smile. "First off, I just wanted to thank all the fans for their love and support these past few days. It's been a really difficult time for Lita, for me, and our respective families and friends. " He paused. "As you all know, Lita was rushed to the hospital after the _wedding_ last week," he continued, putting wedding into air quotes. "She was hurt pretty bad, and it was a little touchy for a while, but I'm happy to say that Lita is now out of the hospital. She's resting at home, and she's gonna make a full recovery."

"That is great news." The relief was clear in JR's voice.

Lawler nodded and said, "We were all pretty worried about her, JR. I'm glad to hear she's gonna be okay."

The audience applauded and shouted. Several voices shouted out, "Matt, we love you and Lita!"

"Stay sane, 'Bro!" said another.

Matt nodded. "Martin Luther King Jr. once said that the ultimate measure of a man isn't where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Well, it's been a very challenging and a very controversial few months for Lita and me, and I want to thank you all for having our backs." He paused, and his voice cracked slightly with emotion as the audience cheered. "You guys in the WWE Universe mean the world to the both of us!"

Matt glanced over to Stephanie, who nodded and gave him a warm smile. Taking a deep breath, he waited until the audience quieted down slightly, and then continued. "Ummm, I wanna say this to the man responsible for hurting the woman that I love not just last week, but all the weeks before that. Kane, I'd like to do nothing more than take you apart piece by piece for what you did to both of us! You knew that Lita and I were trying to get back together. But that didn't matter! All you cared about was bringing your offspring into the world and making Lita your property!"

Matt paused. "I guess last week showed everyone in the WWE Universe just how you treat your property. Because you had the nerve...the _unmitigated gall..._to pick up your property like a rag doll and slam her to the ground, and then try to choke the life out of her!

"Y'know, when the three of us signed the contract for Summerslam, you said that everyone now knew the truth, and that you were more of a man than I'd ever be. Last week, Kane, the WWE Universe saw you for what you really are. A no good lying hypocrite! Because you showed everyone around the world just how little a man you really are! Because a real man doesn't treat his woman like property, and he sure as hell doesn't try to kill her!"

The audience reaction would have blown the roof off the arena if it were any louder.

"I think this audience is in total agreement!" Lawler exclaimed.

"And as far as I'm concerned, the Big Red Machine deserves Hardy's wrath!" JR said emphatically.

Suddenly, before Matt could say anything else, the lights dimmed slightly and the crowd gasped as they saw who appeared on the Titantron.

_"Hardy! You say some awfully big words. And if you thought you and Lita suffered before...just wait until you both come back. Because when I finish with you both, your suffering will be _legendary!"

Matt glared over his shoulder at the image of his nemesis. Shadows played across Kane's face, making him look like he came straight out of a nightmare. For a single, crackling moment, Matt and Kane stared at each other, each daring the other to speak.

Stephanie stood back, a calculating expression on her face. This situation could become very ugly, very quickly.

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: SURPRISE! You didn't expect Stephanie McMahon to come back, did you? Okay, I know it's NOT canon, but it's Alternate Universe. I shamelessly ship Taker (Mark) and Stephanie. I picture Stephanie being into biker chic, kinda edgy and emo-looking in this AU. Hope you don't mind!**

**BTW, If you're interested in reading Taker/Steph, check out **_**Into The Dark, **_**my retelling of the Ministry of Darkness story (also AU).**

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter Eleven**_

The tension in the arena was so thick, you could slice it.

Matt glared hotly at his nemesis. _All that bluster and rage and insanity, and he hasn't got the nerve to face me in the ring,_ he thought angrily. He took a breath and carefully chose his words. "Kane," he began calmly. "I just wanna ask you one thing. _Why?_ Why _Lita, _of all people? There are so many other women that you could have chosen, but you chose Lita. What was so special about Lita? Why were you so willing to destroy someone else's relationship just so you could bring your offspring into the world?"

Kane tilted his head and regarded Matt smugly. "You wanna know why I chose her to carry my offspring, Hardy?" he asked. "You wanna know why I wanted her as _my _property? You really wanna know why I was so obsessed with her, and not some other woman on the roster? Fine. I might as well explain myself, since it's obvious now that I'm not gonna get what I want.

"I wanted to create my offspring with a woman who wouldn't immediately fall to pieces if I showed her the smallest bit of interest. A woman like that would already be broken, and broken things aren't so much fun to play with. A broken woman like that would soon bore and disgust me," Kane explained, amid a chorus of disgusted shouts and boos. JR and King sat at the broadcast table transfixed and rendered silent by Kane's cruel words, and they couldn't bring themselves to interrupt.

"But Lita..." Kane sighed. "I saw Lita as a challenge. She was so beautiful and so fierce and so brave. I knew she'd fight me every step of the way. I thought I would gain more pleasure making her my property and breaking her spirit than I would if I'd claimed her and she was broken from the very beginning.

"Well, even after everything that's happened between us...even after I won the right to marry her at after she walked down the aisle last week...Lita still chose the little Hardy bitch over me. As far as I'm concerned...you two _deserve_ each other."

_"You sick, evil sonofabitch-"_ Matt began before the Big Red Machine cut him off viciously.

_"I've had about enough of your bitching and complaining, Hardy!"_ snarled Kane, surprising everyone by the loudness of his voice. _"You want her? You want Lita? Fine! Take can have her! Because I don't want her anymore!"_

Kane narrowed his eyes. His voice was low and deadly. "Lita, I hope you're listening. You want your Hardy bitch? Fine. Go back to him. Spend the rest of your life with him, for all I care. Because I don't wanna marry you anymore. I don't want you to carry my offspring. I don't even want you as my property. The only thing I want now…is to destroy you."

"Oh, my God!" JR snarled in disgust.

"I don't like the sound of that, JR!" Lawler chimed in, shuddering.

Kane continued. "If you think what I did to you and Matt before was bad...oh, Lita. That's nothing compared to the hell I'll be all too happy to unleash upon both of you. I'll crush your precious little Hardy bitch under my boots and laugh as you fall on your knees and beg and plead for mercy. And then, when I'm finished with him, and he's nothing more than a pile of dust under my boots, I'll crush you. And when I'm done with you, Lita, you'll wish that you'd have said _I do _and married me. Because it's gonna be my life's work now to make your life and the lives of your friends and family here on Earth a complete living hell."

Matt looked ready to leap from the ring and hunt Kane down himself, but the interim GM held a hand out to stop him.

"ALRIGHT! THAT'S ENOUGH!" Stephanie shouted at Matt's nemesis angrily.

Finally, Lawler broke his silence. "Oh, wow!"

"Stephanie putting her foot down!" exclaimed JR. "I'm surprised she didn't do that sooner!"

"There's a new sheriff in town, Kane, and what I say goes," Stephanie announced, narrowing her eyes. "And if you don't like it, well...I'd tell you not to let the door hit you on the way out, but that's a moot point since you're not here.

"Y'know, maybe it was for the best that you and Lita didn't get married last week. Because I just know that if you did get your way and marry her, she would have done everything in her power to make your life absolutely dejectedle. I know I would have." Stephanie paused, and then a smirk creased her lips.

"See, Kane, women are a unique breed. We can't always cause men physical pain, but if we have the slightest opportunity to make them suffer emotional or mental pain...oh, we're gonna be on that opportunity faster than fleas on a mutt, I kid you not. It's 'cause we're just really vindictive like that."

Lawler couldn't stop smiling. "Kane's getting put in his place real quick, JR!"

"And it's about time!" JR exclaimed in agreement.

"Lita probably couldn't inflict any kind of physical pain on you, but she would have made sure you lost every single match you wrestled in. She'd have done everything in her power to completely destroy your self confidence and make you feel small and worthless, like some cheap ham and egger who couldn't wrestle his way out of a paper bag." Stephanie nodded "Yeah, Kane. You're lucky that you and Lita didn't get married. Because if the two of you did, she probably would have written down everything you did to her—every time you laid a hand her, every time you threatened her, or was violent towards her or her friends—she'd record all times and places and witness, and take your ass to court and sue you for everything you're worth. And she'd probably win."

"You don't know what you're talking about-"

Stephanie looked indignant. "I don't? Okay. Maybe I don't know exactly what she went through, but I know what it feels like to be a victim. You can ask my father all about trying to victimize someone. He tried to use me to get back at someone he despised. I broke his heart in a million pieces on national TV in return, and deservedly so. It took almost two years for him to get back into my good graces. And what you've did to Lita may not have been the same thing my dad did to me, but it 's still unacceptable!

"For someone to threaten an innocent woman, to stalk her, to harass her, to kidnap her, to take out her boyfriend's opponents, and to threaten to kill her boyfriend unless she slept with him—it takes a really big man to do that, doesn't it? And for him to make sure she got pregnant with his baby so he could rope her into making her his property—that's a really classy move, isn't it?

"How dare you-"

"Kane, do me a favor and _shut up! " _The fans roared, as Stephanie continued her tirade. "You have _some nerve_ trying to force Lita into marriage when you knew she would NEVER love you. And to make matters worse, you knew she lost her baby, but you didn't care. You wanted your big fat Wedding From Hell so you could show everyone just how big and scary and powerful you were. Yeah, it takes a real quality guy to drag a poor woman who lost a baby into a wedding without giving her a chance to recover and grieve for the child she lost. And you even had the grapefruits to call Lita your property."

"Kane can't catch a break, can he?" Lawler remarked.

"First it was Lita, now it's the interim GM!" JR laughed. "The Big Red Machine is getting read the riot act!"

"Kane, if you referred to me as your property, the first thing I'd do is take a shotgun and blast you _in_ those grapefruits!" Stephanie continued, to a huge pop. "And if you think for a second that I'm gonna be a pushover like the last guy, whose name I'll no longer mention on this or any other WWE broadcasts, you are dead wrong.

"If had my way, I would have tossed you out of the WWE on your ass for what you did to Lita and Matt. But I can't. So, I'll do the next best thing. One of the last things the previous GM did was give you an undeserved wedding present. It was an open contract at Unforgiven, to face anyone you wanted. It was a nice gift, and I'll give the previous GM credit where credit's due, because you could pick anyone you wanted as your opponent. Well, since you seem to be too much of a coward to come out here and face me-"

"I am not a coward, you-"

"Then why are you hiding behind that video wall spouting threats? Come on out here and face me. Better yet, come on out here and face Matt. I'm sure he'd love to have a few words with you." A pause, as Stephanie glanced over at Matt. He remained silent, but his posture spoke volumes. She shook her head at Kane in disgust. "I knew it. Guess behind that big scary exterior beats the heart of a gutless coward. Anyway, since you'd rather stay behind that video wall and spout off, I took the liberty of choosing your opponent for Unforgiven. Your match will be no DQ and no count-out. It will be one more match, between you...and Matt Hardy."

"Payback's gonna be hell!" announced JR, as the fans shouted in approval.

"And I decided to include a provision in that match," continued Stephanie. "The loser of that match...will be forced to leave RAW." At the mention of that stipulation, the fans erupted. "You don't like it, well...there's the door. Try not to let it hit you in the ass on the way out."

Kane tilted his head almost quizzically at his nemesis. When he spoke, it almost sounded like he was laughing.

"Hardy, I'm gonna bide my time and wait for Unforgiven. So you can go home now, hold Lita tight, give her my regards…and look over your shoulder. Then, we'll meet at Unforgiven.I will step in the ring, and destroy you. The way I should have destroyed you in the beginning. You really think you can beat a demon from Hell? That match at Vengeance was a fluke. The only reason why you beat me at Vengeance was because you hit me in the head with a steel chair. _That's_ the _only_ reason. At Unforgiven, I will send you straight into the depths of Hell. And that's no threat, Hardy bitch. That is a promise."

Kane's image disappeared from the Titantron, replaced the RAW logo.

Matt clenched his fists; in his mind, Kane was too much of a coward to face his opponent, now that the match had been made. "You remember what I've done to you in the past?" he snarled, hoping there was an off-chance that the Big Red Machine could still hear him. "Remember what I did to you at Vengeance? I bashed your skull in! Well, what I did to you at Vengeance is NOTHING compared to what I'll do to you at Unforgiven! _And it won't be a Wedding From Hell, but everyone will be cordially invited to watch me kick your ass!"_

The video wall went dark, and Matt's entrance music started back up. Matt threw a glance full of darts in Stephanie's direction. Stephanie put a hand up in front of her, the gesture saying, _Matt, stop. _The new GM mouthed, "Come into my office," before stepping out of the ring.

"It's on!" Lawler exclaimed. "It's gonna be one more match in Portland on September 12th!"

"Kane vs Hardy, and the loser leaves RAW!" JR announced. "And there'll be only one winner! Finally, this situation will be settled once and for all!"

~~~LITA~~~

_"I thought you had our backs, Stephanie!" _Matt exclaimed, as he followed the interim GM down the hall backstage after the in-ring confrontation. _"Kane damn near killed Lita! You can't just fire him?"_

Stephanie ushered the stunned and angry Hardy into her office and closed the door behind her. "Matt, he's under contract, and he's a moneymaker. I can't just fire him. If I did that, who's to say that I won't get slapped with some kind of lawsuit? In this day and age, Matt, I can't take that risk."

Matt sighed. "What am I gonna tell Lita?" he asked, the distress clear in his voice.

"Tell her that this situation's being handled properly now." Stephanie sat down at her desk and ushered gestured for Matt to sit in the chair across from her. Her voice was soft, but firm. "Look, I may not know exactly what Lita's been through, but like I said out there, I know what it feels like to be victimized. Hell, the Ministry of Darkness storyline from five years back was a prime example. My dad endangered me so he could get revenge on Steve Austin for reasons I don't wanna _begin_ to discuss right now. Thank God Mark and I were able to put Dad in his place. He knows now never to exploit me like that again."

Stephanie caught the contemplative expression on Matt's face and continued. "Matt. I have this situation under control on this end. So what I want you to do is take care of yourself, and take care of Lita. Neither of you will have to worry about Kane when it's all over, but you have to trust me. Okay?"

Matt nodded, but he didn't look entirely convinced.

"Matt, you and Lita are two of my biggest names on the roster," Stephanie tried to reassure him. "I wouldn't be telling you to trust me if I didn't think I was doing right by you guys."

A full minute of silence passed as Stephanie filled out some papers and Matt stared down at his shoes. Finally, Matt glanced up and nodded. "Okay. I trust you."

"Excellent. Now get back to the woman you love. I'm giving you a couple of weeks off to rest up and get ready for the big match. After everything you've all been through, you deserve it."

~~~~LITA~~~

Anna paced the kitchen floor angrily, a tiny blonde wraith in a purple bathrobe, with the cordless phone practically glued to her ear. "Matty, Lita and I were freaking out earlier listening to Kane spout off on TV! Why would Stephanie make a match between you and Kane at Unforgiven? After all Kane's done, you'd think she'd fire him on the spot!"

Matt sighed and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I would have loved to see that, but if she did that, Kane would have free reign to hunt us down and do God-knows-what. I guess this way, Stephanie can keep Kane on a leash."

"I can see her point of view," sighed Anna. The interim GM was caught between a rock and a hard place, thanks to Bischoff.

"I need to explain this all to Lita so she's not so freaked out. Is she awake?"

"She is, Matt. But be prepared. She's more than a little hacked off at you. She may be convalescing, but she's waiting to give you seven shades of hell right now."

Matt chuckled. "She wouldn't be my Lita if she didn't."

"You sure you wanna talk to her?"

"Absolutely."

"Okay. Hang on." Anna took the phone into the living room, where Lita was dozing off. Gently, Anna nudged her. "Lita. Matty wants to talk to you."

Lita sighed and sat up. "I won't be held responsible for what I say to him right now," she warned Anna gently as she took the phone. "Matt!"

"Hey, Lita. How are you feeling?"

"I'm better. Still sore, but it's not as bad as it was yesterday."

"That's good." A pause. "You're not giving Anna any trouble, are you?"

"Now why would I go and do that?"

"I know you, Babe," Matt chuckled. "You've got an ornery streak in you. I guess you saw the confrontation on TV."

"I did. We both watched it."

Anna, who had returned to the kitchen, said to herself. "Okay. Riot act in three...two..."

_"Matt, why the hell didn't you fight harder for me tonight? You heard what Kane wanted to do to both of us! Stephanie should have had Kane fired! He doesn't deserve to be on ANY roster! He's a sick, evil bastard! How could you allow Stephanie to make that match?"_

Lita winced; the yelling had hurt her ribs, and she had to bite her lip so she wouldn't cry out in pain.

"Lita, believe me. I'd have loved to see Kane booted out of the WWE. But Stephanie can't do that. He's a big draw, he makes the company lots of money, and he has a contract. If Stephanie up and fired him, he could easily sue the WWE. The way she's doing it now keeps him from going after us, and at the same time, she can avoid any potential lawsuits."

"But Loser Leaves RAW? Matt, I'm on that roster! Who's to say that you'll win that match? If Kane beats you, and he plans to do what he says he'll do to us, we're all screwed!"

"You have that little faith in me, Lita?" Matt sounded taken aback.

"No! _No!"_ Lita tried to explain. "It's just that...that I...oh, God!" She paused, and her voice wobbled. "It's all been a trainwreck for the past several months. I just don't know what to do or think anymore."

"I shouldn't have said that, Lita. I'm really sorry. But you just have to trust Stephanie. She says she knows what she's doing."

"Do _you_ trust her, Matt?"

"If it's the only way we can stop Kane from destroying us, then I have to, Lita. I don't have much of a choice. We don't have much of a choice."

Lita fell silent as she contemplated her boyfriend's words. She and Matt had been through such hell, that she was willing to believe almost anything to save their future. And if JR had been right about Stephanie being able to right the ship, who was she to doubt the GM? Finally, she said, "Okay. I trust her too, Matty."

"Babe, I have to go. I have an early flight tomorrow, and then I'll be home for a couple of weeks. Stephanie gave me some time off to train for Unforgiven. Take care of yourself, and don't give Anna any trouble, okay?"

"I won't. I love you, Matty."

"Good night. I love you too."

~~~LITA~~~

"...I really appreciate you being willing to do this for me," Stephanie said gratefully into her cell phone on the way to her rental car later that evening. "Either way, it's all covered. Yeah. I know they'll appreciate it. Bitchoff caused all sorts of headaches, I'm just trying to make everything right. We'll be in touch. 'Bye."

Stephanie snapped off her cell phone, put it in her purse, and got out her keys, making a mental note to call Mark as soon as she got back to her hotel. Just as she leaned over to unlock her door, a pair of hands covered her mouth and tried to yank her backwards.

The interim GM reacted instantly. Stephanie stomped down on the top of her would-be attacker's foot, while driving an elbow into his solar plexus. The attacker let go of Stephanie and doubled over, giving her a chance to turn, grab him by the front of his shirt, and pivot so that he was shoved up against the side of her rental car.

Snarling, Stephanie whipped something out of her pocket and shoved it in front of her attacker's face. "Do it, Kane! Come after me. This thing's loaded with pepper spray, and I won't hesitate to use it!"

"You really think you can push me around like that?"

"Yes, because I'm your new boss, Kane. And you should be thanking me for keeping you on the roster. I could have tossed you out just for what you did to Shawn Michaels, but I didn't." Actually, that wasn't entirely true. As she'd stated to Matt earlier, firing Kane could result in potential lawsuits, and she wanted to avoid those. "And by the way, I meant everything I said out there in the ring tonight."

She paused. "Let me remind you that the show's over, and I could file a police report for assault right now. But I won't. So go back to your hotel room, take your frustrations out on something else, and wait for Unforgiven. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a flight to catch in the morning like everyone else, and I need my beauty sleep. Good night."

With that, she got into her car and drove off, leaving Kane seething in the middle of the parking lot. In the course of a week, he'd been cut down on national TV not just once, but twice! And both times by a woman! He bellowed in fury and kicked a metal trash can hard enough to dent it before storming off.

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Hope that in-ring promo didn't sound too over the top or out of character. If it did, I'm really sorry! And BTW, Kane's not the monster I'm making him out to be in this story. There's a reason behind his bluster and rage, and I'll make sure it's fleshed out properly.**

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	12. Chapter 12

_**Chapter Twelve**_

_Matt's House_

_9/8/04_

"Matty? It's me. _Hellooo_. You in here?"

After pounding on the front door (there was a doorbell, but why use it when knocking worked just as well?), Jeff shrugged and fumbled around in his pants pocket for his copy of Matt's house key. "Guess I'll let myself in. I'm family after all."

Jeff glanced around the first floor of his brother's house. "It's me. Jeff. You up here?" The house was quiet, and Jeff scratched his head, puzzled. "Your car's in the driveway, Matt. But where are _you?"_

Jeff's ears picked up grunts and punching sounds, punctuated every so often with a few angry expletives, from the downstairs. "I know that voice anywhere," he chuckled under his breath as he made his way down the steps.

He followed the sounds to an unfinished room in the basement. This was one of the places in Matt's house that hadn't been completed, and Matt had set up some workout equipment in the small room. There was a weight bench against the wall, along with a vertical climber, a Bowflex, and a treadmill. Workout mats covered the floor, and a punching bag made of heavy canvas swung from the ceiling. It was this bag that Matt was working over with a vengeance.

Jeff watched in amusement as his brother beat the hell out of the punching bag. Matt's match with Kane was less than a week away, and to Jeff, it looked like Matt was just as much taking his frustrations and hatred out on an inanimate object as he was preparing for his last go-round at Unforgiven with the Big Red Machine.

"Sick, evil bastard!" Matt shouted, punctuating each word with a punch. He was getting so into it that he was even starting to kick at it as well. "She's not yours! How dare you try to destroy us! You twisted, ugly freak! Why can't you leave us alone?"

"Uh...because he's obsessed?" Jeff ventured.

Matt broke from his tirade and jumped around, every nerve threatening to leap from his skin. The look on his face was scary enough to make Jeff jump back a few feet. "What the—Jeff!" He put away his scary expression and flashed a sheepish smile. "Sorry I scared you. I didn't know you were here."

Jeff smirked. "I let myself in. Where's Lita?"

"She's over in Southern Pines. Anna took her to the doctor's for a follow-up visit. They should be back soon." Matt grabbed a towel and dried his face, and then grabbed the water bottle he'd set on the windowsill. "When'd you get back?"

"Just got back home a couple hours ago. Thought I'd swing by for a visit before your match. How are you holding up?"

"As good as can be expected. I've spent the past couple of weeks getting ready for this last go-around." Matt grinned. "Stephanie's been awesome. She gave me a couple weeks off so I can train and spend some time with Lita. Yesterday, she sent us a big box full of get well cards from the fans. And she called us last week, said that if there's anything we need to just ask. I guess she's trying to make up for the sucky way Bitchoff treated us."

"That's good. After all the crap you and Lita went through the past few months, you both deserve some down time."

"So, can I get you anything? Coffee, pop, bottle of water?"

Jeff shook his head and plopped down on the workout bench. "I'm fine. Don't let me interrupt you, Matty. Go back to your workout. Think about Kane." He smirked. "Hit that bag like it was his balls."

Matt made a face. "Did you really need to go _there,_ Jeff?"

"What do you mean?"

"There's nothing positive about that visual. The last thing I want to think about right now is Kane's balls."

Jeff shrugged. "Then hit that bag like it's his face."

"That can be arranged." Matt checked the tape around his hands to make sure it wasn't coming off (he'd taped up to prevent bruised knuckles) and then unloaded.

_"Why? _Why _Lita_, of all people?" _Pow! Wham!_

"You wanted her as _your_ property?" _Pow! Pow! Smack! Boom!_

"It takes a really big man to do what you did, doesn't it?" _Wham! Wham! Wham!_

Jeff shook his head. "Holy crap, Matty! That's not a workout, that's aggression release!"

Matt didn't hear him. "You called Lita your property, you sick, evil bastard!" _Pow! Wham! Smack!_

At this point, Matt was completely riled up and began to kick the bag as well as punch it. _"How DARE you call my woman your property?" Boom! Smack!_

_"A demon from hell?" Smack! Smack! Wham!_ _"You're not a demon from hell! You're a gutless fucking COWARD!"_

Pow! Pow! Pow! _"I'm gonna bash your brains in, you sick, twisted, sweaty freak!"_

At this point, Matt completely unleashed. Letting out a primal sounding roar, he laid into the canvas bag with a vengeance, pounding away almost as if Kane were in the room with him. It was months and months of pain and heartbreak and anger and frustration spilling out into Matt's basement and echoing off the walls. Jeff stayed where he was, opting not to stop his brother. Deep down inside, he knew that Matt needed this release.

Finally, Matt tore himself away from the punching bag and slapped the wall. Exhausted emotionally and physically, he dropped to his knees and began to cry.

Cautiously, Jeff approached his brother and laid a hand on his shoulder. It felt like Jeff was laying his hand on a table, Matt was so tense.

Matt leaned into his brother, and Jeff knelt down and gently put his arms around him. "I guess I needed that."

"I guess you did," Jeff smirked. He paused. "Matty, you and Lita are gonna make it through this, okay?"

Matt sighed. "We have to make it through. 'Cause if we don't..." he let his voice trail off. "Oh, God! I can't even think about that right now."

"Then don't," Jeff told him, simply." The brothers stayed on the floor for a while. Nothing was said; nothing really needed to be said.

Finally, Matt broke the silence. "My knees are starting to hurt." He and Jeff chuckled softly, and Jeff climbed to his feet to help his brother stand up. "C'mon, let's get out of here. Offer still stands if you want anything."

"If you have any fresh coffee, I'll take you up on that offer," Jeff answered as he followed Matt out of the basement.

~~~LITA~~~

"…Well, the doc says I'm recovering a little ahead of schedule," Lita announced happily, as she and Anna headed to the car. They had just gotten out of the doctor's office in Southern Pines following a visit to check Lita's progress.

"That's good to hear," Anna smiled back as she unlocked the teal green Bonneville (borrowed from her aunt; her own car was in the shop) and slipped into the driver's side. "That means you'll be back in the ring sooner than later."

Lita climbed into the passenger's seat. "That day can't get here fast enough."

The doctor was pleased with how quickly Lita was recovering. She was no longer on the pain medication, and she was allowed light workouts. Her shoulder was no longer in the sling, and her range of motion had greatly improved.

Matt was back home to look after Lita, but that didn't stop Anna from taking Lita to the doctor's for follow-up visits, or dropping by the house with pizza or some DVDs or a new toy for Lucas or something warm and cozy for Lita or Matt to wrap up in. She knew her paycheck was taking a hit because of her kindness, but her boss was more than accommodating, allowing her to play catch-up on her days off.

"I'll drop you off at the house," Anna advised her friend as she backed out of her parking spot. "But then I need to get to work. Scott's letting me put in a couple extra hours today."

"That's nice of him."

"It is. So, you wanna swing by Starbucks and pick up something caffeinated?"

"I thought you were going to work today."

"I don't have to be there just yet." Anna smirked. "I've got some time to kill."

At Starbucks, Lita saved herself and Anna a table while Anna got in line to place their drink orders. Sighing, she lowered herself carefully into her chair. A few store patrons recognized her, and she waved and flashed a brief smile; these folks were polite enough to hang back and not try to pester her with autograph or photography requests.

Anna returned with the drinks, and the two of them engaged in small talk. Lita took her Palm out to check messages, and Anna glanced over. Her eyes widened.

"I cannot believe it," Anna gasped.

"It's a new one."

"You have I Spy. That's a brand-new program." Anna fumbled through her purse and pulled her PDA out. "Do you mind?"

"Having I Spy? No, I don't mind. I like it. It keeps me updated with what everyone's doing."

"Do you mind beaming it to me?"

Lita cocked her head and looked at Anna like she'd just said something in Arabic. "Beaming it?"

Anna sighed and shook her head. "Okay, you have a Palm, and you've never beamed an application."

"I thought it was just a digital notepad."

"Boy, you really are a Palm novice, aren't you? Here, I can...lemme take your Palm. You want me to show you how then?" Anna set her Palm, and Lita's down on the table. "Okay, you gotta place the two Palms next to each other like this. Now watch. This is really super important."

"Just take this. Tap the House icon like that, and then you display the Applications list. Then you tap the Menu icon, and then chose Beam from the drop-down menu. Then we'll select I Spy from the Beam box, and then we tap Beam again, then tap Done, and…" Anna's voice changed to a sing-song. _"Ta-da!"_

_"Ta-da, _what?"

_"Ta-da,_ now I've got it!"

"But it's mine. Can I have it back?"

"No. We both have it. You have one, and I have a copy." Anna stuffed her PDA back into her purse. "You've obviously never done this before."

"Guess I'm a virgin, then."

Anna busted up laughing. "You're funny," she grinned, taking a sip of her iced coffee. "Hey, ummm. You guys want me to swing by the house tonight and bring you dinner so you guys don't have to cook?"

"That's awful sweet of you, thanks. I think Matt's planning something for us tonight."

"Oh, that's good. You guys need some more quality time together." Anna sighed, and a thoughtful expression passed across her face. It was obvious that something was on her mind. "Lita, I know I've been acting like human lint for the past couple of weeks, and if I'm being clingy in any way—"

Lita reached over and patted Anna's hand. Though she didn't come right out and say it, Anna had been deeply shaken by what she'd seen on TV a little over two weeks ago, and she was understandably clingy. "It's okay. Seeing someone you care about getting tossed around and choked on TV would freak me out too. I wouldn't wanna let them out of my sight either."

Anna gave a tight lipped smile of relief, and the two young women finished their drinks.

Lita's cell phone rang, interrupting the comfortable silence. "Sorry, I think I should take this," Lita said, glancing at the caller ID. "Hello? Stephanie, hi! I'm doing a lot better, how are you? That's good to hear. So, what's up? Well, yeah. I was planning on watching everything on TV, why do you ask…"

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Boy this chapter ended on all sorts of abrupt, didn't it? I guess I'm trying to work some kinks out. Please let me know if this sucked or not! BTW, the Palm "beaming" exchange was borrowed from the movie **_**Little Black Book,**_** I thought the scene was amusing, and it just worked in this chapter.**

**BTW, do you notice that Anna always drives a car that seems much too big for her to handle?**

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	13. Chapter 13

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Wrestling matches are extremely difficult to write, but I tried as hard as I could to put this one down on paper. The Unforgiven match I used was based on the one from Vengeance 2004. The ending, of course, will be different.**

**A big thanks to JR and Jerry "The King" Lawler for providing color commentary, which really helped me describe the action. There'll never be another broadcast team quite like them:)**

_**Chapter Thirteen**_

_Rose Garden, Portland, OR_

_9/12/04_

"The following contest is scheduled for one fall, and is a no disqualification, no countout match, and the loser must leave RAW," announced Lillian Garcia, as Kane's music thundered into the arena, and he stalked out, wearing his head covering.

"Kane is an unrelenting monster," JR explained, as Kane lumbered into the ring amid massive heat from the audience. "One of the most sadistic individuals in the history of the WWE, a fact which was vividly demonstrated during that ill-fated Wedding From Hell, when he attacked his bride-to-be Lita, and put her in the hospital."

His colleague, Jerry Lawler, nodded. "A month ago, he was set to marry her and have a baby. One big creepy family. Guess that's now a distant memory."

"Yeah, now all he wants to do to Lita is, in his words, destroy her. A cold, heartless individual, in a no disqualification, no countout match, and the loser leaves RAW."

"This is like sending Matt Hardy to the gallows," Lawler sighed. "Kane is certainly not Husband Of The Year material."

"Or Father Of The Year material, for that matter. Perhaps the luckiest one in this sordid drama is Lita's unborn baby, which she miscarried a month ago."

The crowd erupted when Matt's music up, and he marched out, a determined look on his face. "And his opponent, from Cameron, NC, weighing 229 pounds, Matt Hardy Version 1!"

"Look out!" JR exclaimed, as Matt rushed Kane, who'd stepped out of the ring. The two of them lit into each other before the opening bell had a chance to ring.

"It's on, JR!" shouted Lawler.

"Matt Hardy and Kane hooking up on the outside of the ring! No disqualification, no countout," JR pointed out. "It definitely favors the Big Red Machine, but I'm sure that interim GM Stephanie McMahon has a method to her madness."

"Yeah," said Lawler. "I remember the last time these two tied up in a match like this, Matt Hardy rammed Kane's head into the steel steps about fifteen times."

JR turned to his colleague. "King, I recall when you used to take up for Kane, and take his side."

"Well, a lot can change, especially in a month. I think Kane is completely out of control."

JR cocked an eyebrow. "That's rare. The two of us actually _agreeing on something. _Kane bouncing off the ring post, and off the Spanish announcers table. How long can Matt hang with Kane in this environment?"

"Wow, JR!" Lawler gasped as Matt clubbed Kane with a TV monitor.

"A TV monitor to the side of Kane's head! As legal as a headlock. Remember, no disqualification, no countout."

Lawler fixed his gaze on a young fan wearing a hot pink baby doll top and a baseball cap. "And there's a fan looking quite pumped up out there. Hey, Matt! Those TV monitors cost thousands of dollars!" He watched as Matt climbed up on the Spanish announce table. "Now what's he doing?"

Matt let out a shout as he went for his signature move, but Kane shoved him away with such force, that he went flying off the table. "Matt going for the Twist Of Fate, but it was aggressively countered by the Big Red Machine," JR explained. "And there's that fan, and what looks like her companion, reacting."

Lawler snorted. "Aggressively's an understatement.!" he spat as Kane slugged Matt twice and shoved him onto the arena floor. "He fired Matt right off the table, into the barrier, and into the cameras."

"Wow! What a vicious uppercut that was, King!"

"And that's as legal as a headlock too!"

"Remember, folks," reminded JR, as Kane easily tossed Matt over the barrier and stepped out into the crowd. Matt staggered around, as his nemesis pounded away on him. They got close enough to a row of seats to make the spectators stand up and move out of the way. "These men cannot be disqualified or counted out. Whenever you go to a WWE event, you don't know how close you're gonna get to the action! Kane and Matt, bringing the fight almost intro the laps of those fans over there!"

"Kane peeled the top of that protective barrier off before shoving Matt into it," observed Lawler.

"And Kane just manhandling Matt Hardy," JR continued. "So much is riding on the outcome of this match. The loser will be forced to leave the RAW roster. Which may not sound like a huge deal, but when you take into account Lita and her recent issues, well..." JR shuddered. "If Matt loses, poor Lita will be left unprotected and be at the mercy of that monster, Kane. It has been Matt Hardy's personal passion for months to slay this monster and protect the woman he loves. I wanna say that Matt has a chance, but the way things are going right now..."

Lawler shook his head in discouragement. "I don't think Matt can even see the monster right now. He's kicking and flailing at thin air." Kane tossed Matt into the ring. "This match was a huge mistake."

"Are you seconding guessing the decisions of the interim GM?"

"Well, I think making this match a no disqualification, no countout match was a bad idea," explained Lawler. "Making the match itself wasn't, because we all know that Matt wants to dismantle the Big Red Machine for what he did to Lita!"

JR glanced over at the fan in the babydoll shirt. She was sipping on what looked like a cup of soda in between shouts and whistles. "There's that fan again, enjoying a cold beverage and cheering on Matt Hardy as well." Kane grabbed Matt by the throat and shoved him to the canvas. "Perhaps Matt's pride has gotten the best of him."

~~~LITA~~~

_What the hell was I thinking?_

Matt managed to glance up. His vision swam, and it looked like two Kanes were in the ring instead of one. Perhaps his strategy wasn't as simple as he thought it would be.

Matt had intended to start the match quickly and make use of the no disqualification rule by trying for his Twist of Fate move on the Spanish announce table. However, he'd underestimated just how dangerous and determined the Big Red Machine was when Kane tossed him off the table and into the ringside barriers.

_"Let's see what you got, Matt! Come on, fight!"_

It was quickly becoming All Kane All The Time. _If I let that happen, _Matt thought, frantically, _I'll end up a grease spot on the canvas, and where's Lita gonna be? I can't let her down! I've fought too hard and too long to let it end like this!_

Matt knew he had to reach down and fight back if he had any hope of defeating his nemesis. But first things first—he had to keep from choking and passing out as Kane leered down and set the hard sole of his boot down on his throat...

~~~LITA~~~

"What an emotional situation Matt Hardy has found himself in," JR continued, as he brought the fans up to speed. "The love of his life, Lita, coerced into sleeping with Kane to save him from serious injury. She wound up pregnant as a result, and I don't think we need to go over what happened next. Long story short, this match was made, and now Matt has one last chance to purge his life, and Lita's, of this monster who's terrorized them for nearly six months."

Lawler nodded. "I still remember the words Lita said to Kane during the wedding. You are a vile, horrible man with no soul." Kane lifted his boot off of Matt's throat. Matt tried to catch his breath, but the reprieve was short-lived as Kane slammed Matt's face into the mat and jumped out. "There's an example of that right there."

"A chant is going up, _Let's go, Hardy!" _JR continued with his commentary.

Lawler glanced into the stands. "And there's that cute looking fan with the soda pop. Looks like she just got a refill."

JR couldn't help smiling. "That's a cute little shirt she has on. I like the designs on it, the MMA style with the wings and crosses and a little _fleur de lis_ on it. Wow! Intense physicality on the part of Kane!"

Matt slipped out of the ring, with Kane in pursuit.

"Come on, Matt!" cheered on Lawler. "That fan just left her seat. Think she wants a closer look, JR?"

"She may wanna get out of the way. The way things are going, someone might wind up over the barricade and right into her lap—OOH! A vicious short arm clothesline! Just about took Matt Hardy's head off! And Matt is in a world of trouble right now!"

"JR. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that Kane brought this all on himself."

"You know what, I agree. If Kane wanted a family that bad, then he should have done it the right way. Propose, get married, and then have the baby."

Lawler snorted. "That 'proposal' of Kane's was a joke! You don't force yourself on somebody like that! You don't bully a a woman into having sex with you!"

Almost casually, Kane tossed Matt back into the ring, slapped him in the head, and picked him up to deliver a backbreaker.

Kane leaped to his feet and laughed at his nemesis., who dropped to the mat and was writhing in agony. "Who's gonna save you, Matty? Huh? You're trying to save Lita, but who's gonna save _you _now? Come on, Hardy bitch! Get up!" Kane grabbed a handful of Matt's hair and lifted his head up. Matt flinched as Kane's hot breath washed across his face. _"Why don't you fight, huh? Why don't you you fight me, Boy!"_

"A cover—and Matt kicks out!" JR exclaimed, as Kane slapped Matt into a camel clutch. Matt howled in pain. "Kane would love to take Matt Hardy apart if given a chance!"

Lawler added, "Honestly, JR, Kane committed a huge blunder when he harassed Lita and Matt. He's endeared himself to absolutely nobody."

"I don't think he cares, King," JR fired back. "It was a long-term, committed relationship, with Matt and Lita, that Kane tried to sabotage." A pause. "I may be changing the subject, but I had a chance to talk to Matt before the broadcast, and he says he still has the engagement ring he was planning to give to Lita. Matt picking himself up, but Kane slams his head right into the top turnbuckle. Anyway, Matt said that hasn't lost hope with his and Lita's relationship, but right now, I'm convinced this is gonna get worse for him before it gets better." Kane kicked Matt in the stomach, and then slapped him. "What a vicious beatdown Kane is delivering to his nemesis," JR remarked, as Matt staggered around the ring in a desperate attempt to regain his bearings.

"He's certainly taken a lot of punishment," Lawler observed, shaking his head.

JR continued his play by play. "Matt whipped into the corner-" Kane charged, but at the last second, Matt put his feet up and caught Kane in the chest in an attempt to fight back. Kane staggered, and Matt tried to charge him, but Kane grabbed him by the throat and slammed him down before putting his foot back onto Matt's neck. "And back to the throat. Matt is looking for a miracle at this point."

Lawler cocked an eyebrow. "What's he doing?" he wondered, as Kane picked up Matt and tossed him out of the ring. "That didn't make any sense."

JR continued. "Kane, shoving Matt face first onto the entrance ramp. And it's all legal. Can't be counted out, can't be disqualified. And it's turning into a one-sided affair. I really admire Matt Hardy's guts, and his heart in accepting this fight, but it's looking increasingly bleak at the moment. It's a valiant, valiant effort, but I think it's gonna end up with the Big Red Machine emerging victorious—OH!"

The crowd suddenly roared in surprise as Kane covered his face and staggered around ringside.

"What happened?" exclaimed Lawler.

"Kane just got hit in the face with something!" JR answered back. I'm looking—I think I see a soft drink cup on the floor and some ice cubes. He just got a faceful of somebody's soda pop! The wet and the cold and the ice—Kane wasn't expecting that, and now he's reeling."

"Who threw it, JR?"

"I can't tell, there's so many people crowded around there, it's all chaotic. It could have been anyone!"

"And that came out of nowhere!"

"The Big Red Machine's attack just came to a screeching halt, and Matt's back on the attack!" With a new found vigor, Matt rammed Kane's head into the steps twice, and then into JR and Lawler's broadcast table. "And Kane being delivered almost into our laps."

"Well, thanks to whoever threw the soda pop," Lawler chuckled, as Matt rolled a reeling Kane back into the ring. "Kane just got Punk'd!"

"Hardy with a second wind," exclaimed JR as Matt whipped Kane into the ropes and tried for another Twist Of Fate. It was unsuccessful; Kane shook him off like he was a yappy little dog and back bodydropped him. "I think I may have spoke too soon. Kane, that 320-pounder, able to power out of that."

Lawler frowned. "I guess Kane shook off that little surprise real quick."

"And it looks like it's about over," announced JR, as Kane hefted Matt over his shoulder, in preparation for a power slam. He took two steps, but Matt managed to slip out of his grasp. He let out a shout; maybe the third time would be a charm...

"OH! The Twist Of Fate! Like lightning!" JR shouted, as Kane hit the mat with a loud thud. "Matt rolls over, a cover—NO! And that may be as close to a three-count as Matt's gonna get.

Lawler added, "And Matt can't believe his eyes!" Kane struggled to sit up, as Matt looked on in shock. Frustrated, Matt slugged him twice and dragged the Big Red Machine to his feet.

_"Come on!"_ snarled Matt, slinging Kane into a corner. _"Stay down, you sonofabitch!"_ He yelped in surprise as Kane played Snap-the-whip and reversed the move. _Think fast!_ Matt thought to himself. _You can get out of this!_

"Matt going for an Irish Whip, a reversal by Kane. Matt in the corner, up in the air—NO! Kane's got him! A fireman's carry!"

Lawler shook his head. "I think it's over JR-" he started, just as Matt swung his body around and hit a desperation move. Stunned, the Big Red Machine crashed to the mat, and an exhausted Matt struggled to get up and make the cover. "NO!"

JR could barely contain himself. _"Tornado DDT! Out of nowhere!"_

_"Kane's out cold!"_ shouted Lawler. _"Cover him, Matt!"_

"Rolls over, a cover—two—IT'S OVER!"

The fans jumped to their feet as the referee called for the final bell.

"The nightmare's over! The monster is finally vanquished!" exclaimed a gleeful JR, as Matt staggered to his feet. "A look of relief on the face of Matt Hardy!" he continued, as Kane sat up, looking completely stunned. "And Kane is in shock!"

Lawler chuckled. "That was the last thing he expected-Look at this, JR!" He pointed towards the entrance ramp. Stephanie McMahon marched down the ramp, flanked by security officers on either side of her.

"The interim GM, Stephanie McMahon, with what looks like a flock of security guards, is heading to ringside. Kane is on his feet, he's shaking his head, his mouth open in disbelief."

"I don't think he's gonna go quietly, JR."

"I think I just heard Matt Hardy say, 'bye, Kane!' A little smirk on Matt's face, as Stephanie and some of the security guys step in. The rest of them surrounding around the ring. I think she's here to enforce the stipulation. She's getting a microphone."

When the crowd noise died down somewhat, Stephanie instructed the security guys. "Gentlemen, escort this man to his dressing room so he can wash up and get his stuff together." She turned and fixed her gaze on the humiliated Big Red Machine. "Because, Kane..._you're outta here!"_

At the mention of _Kane...you're outta here!_ the fans erupted once again.

"I think the reality for the Big Red Machine is starting to sink in," explained JR, as Kane jumped out of the ring in an attempt to escape. However, the security guys were ready for him, and they pounced before he was able to get very far. Grabbing a ring post, he bellowed and tried to hang on, but the brute strength of the officers was too much for him, as they subdued him and dragged him away.

"NOOO!" he screeched. "NOO! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME LEAVE! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME LEAVE! NO! GET OFF ME! DAMMIT GET OFF ME!"

"Look at all the security around him, JR!" Lawler gasped.

JR nodded. "There's about eight of them swarming over him like a plague of locusts."

The fans broke into a loud chorus of _Na-Na-Na-Na, Na-Na-Na-Na, Hey Hey, Good-bye! _with Matt encouraging them and Kane protesting loudly. The security dragged Kane down the aisle and up the entrance ramp, with Stephanie bringing up the rear.

"The Big Red Machine has been shut down!" JR shouted. "And Kane is being marched unceremoniously out of here!"

Lawler shook his head, as Matt's ring music started up and the referee lifted the tired combatant's arm in victory. "This was the last thing Kane expected, JR!"

"Absolutely. Kane being escorted out of the ring by security was the last thing that anyone expected. Let's take another look at how this ended."

Lawler studied the replay. "There's Matt trying to Irish whip Kane into the corner, Kane reverses it, and Matt catches himself and hops onto the second turnbuckle, I guess trying for a cross-body. Kane catches him mid leap, and almost out of thin air, Matt twists himself around—BOOM! Down goes the Big Red Machine, and Matt rolls over for the 1- 2-3, and it's over!"

"Matt looks like a huge weight has been lifted right off his shoulders-"

"JR! Look at this!" Lawler cut him off and pointed towards the entrance ramp. At the same time, Matt glanced over his shoulder and a look of complete surprise crossed his face and the fans shouted in glee.

JR couldn't believe his eyes. "IT'S LITA! LITA'S IN THE AUDIENCE!" he exclaimed as Lita carefully stepped into the ring. Matt grinned and wrapped his arms around her in a gentle, but passionate, embrace.

"How'd she get in without being recognized, JR?"

"King, I don't know, but she's here!" JR answered, as Matt raised Lita's arm. "And I think she and Matt will celebrating tonight. Hey! Wait a minute!" he gasped, as Lita pointed to where she'd been seated. The young fan with the pretty top that JR had been admiring wove her way out of the crowd and stepped into the ring."I think that's the young lady we saw earlier."

"You know JR, I think it is!" Lawler answered, as Matt, and the fan conversed in an animated fashion. The crowd noise was too loud to hear what was being discussed, but Matt was smiling in disbelief and nodding. After a few more words were exchanged, Matt, Lita, and the fan group-hugged. "You think she had something to do with this, JR?"

JR nodded. "Well, King, we have some footage that just came out...we were both wondering where Matt got the cup of soda pop to throw in Kane's face...it's her! I can barely make her out, but...there! She shoved it into Matt's hand and gestured for him to toss it."

"Let me see...you're right, JR! It is! You think they all planned this?"

"I'm not sure, King," JR answered as Matt lifted the young fan's hand into the air. "But if it wasn't planned, well...I'm surprised that security hasn't come back to escort that young lady out of the arena. The fans are on their feet, and there's an atmosphere of celebration in this arena."

Matt parted the ropes for both Lita and the fan. The fan stepped out first, she climbed nimbly onto the arena floor, applauding and whistling as she went.

"Handle her carefully, Matt!" exclaimed Lawler as Matt helped Lita out of the and wrapped his arms around her for another hug and kiss.

JR couldn't stop the smile that tugged across his lips. "Matt and Lita's ordeal, which began way back in April, has finally come to an end," he announced, as Matt and his companions headed up the entrance ramp. "And I think I can say that confidently, and emphatically. And the fans are still applauding as they go off into the sunset..."

~~~LITA~~~

"Lita, how the hell did you and Anna get out here?" gasped Matt in surprise when they finally reached the backstage. The three of them had wrapped up into another group hug, but Anna broke it off and stepped back to give Matt and Lita some privacy. "I thought you two were gonna be watching on TV. That's what you told me last night, anyway."

"It was my idea, and so was the soda pop bit."

Matt and the girls turned around and saw the RAW GM. Stephanie stood with her arms folded over her chest and a genuine smile pasted across her face. "Congratulations, Matt, I knew you'd be able to do it."

"Thanks," Matt sighed. "I thought for a while there, I didn't have a chance-"

"LITA! LITA, WHY? WHY? I JUST WANTED A FAMILY, LITA! I JUST WANTED SOMEONE TO LOVE ME! WHY'D YOU HAVE TO HURT ME, LITA? WHY? LIIIITAAA!"

The small group turned to see the commotion. Kane was in a doorway, his face twisted in anguish, tears running down his cheeks. A couple of guards were trying to hold him back as he tried to lunge towards the woman he'd harassed for so long.

Lita shuddered and hid her face in Matt's shoulder. Anna tensed up, and Matt glared at his defeated nemesis.

"Come on, guys! Let's go," Stephanie ordered the three of them, as she ushered them down the hall to her temporary office, a dressing room with a table, a couch, and chairs. "Don't listen to him, security will take care of him, let's go."

She ushered all of them into chairs, closed the door, and sat behind the table she was using as her desk for the night. "That was the last thing you guys needed."

"Thanks," managed Matt. Now that the fighting was over, he was suddenly overwhelmed by emotion and found it hard to speak."

"Stephanie wanted to surprise you," Lita explained.

"She brought us both out here," Anna continued. "Stephanie knows how important we are to you."

Stephanie grinned. "This was a big night for you, Matt. I didn't think it would be right if you and Lita didn't have a chance to celebrate," she said, as Matt nodded.

Anna glanced towards the now closed door. "What's gonna happen to Kane?"

"I strongly recommended that he takes some time off. He's gonna be off of TV for a while to sell the angle. He's not gonna be fired, if that's what you're wondering."

Matt nodded. "But what if I'd lost. I mean, it was Loser Leave RAW. Lita would have been by herself-"

Stephanie held up her hand. "Teddy Long and I made a deal. If you'd lost, I'd have sent you both over to Smackdown," she answered simply. Matt and Lita gazed at each other, and then turned to the GM, surprised. "There was no way I'd separate the two of you," she added, kindly. "You've been through way too much already."

Lita felt a lump in her throat as she reached over the desk (carefully) and hugged the interim GM. "Thank you," she managed, her voice thick with emotion. "Thank you so much."

Stephanie smirked. "Least I can do." She paused. "Matt, why don't you go wash up and get your stuff together. Lita, Anna, and I have a few things to discuss."

"Of course," Matt climbed out of his chair and give Lita a kiss and Anna a peck on the check before making as graceful an exit as his sore, bruised body would allow.

Once he was gone, Stephanie leaned across the desk. Her demeanor changed from friend to fair and honest businesswoman, and her eyes became flinty. "Okay girls, now that that's been taken care of, let's get down to business..."

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Whew! This one left me wiped out! I'm just thankful that Kane's gonna be out of Matt and Lita's lives now. Do you know how hard it was for me to include Anna in this chapter without making it look a blatant insertion? THAT was tough.**

**And don't freak about what'll happen to Kane. He's not the monster he appeared to be during the storyline (I actually admire the contributions he's made to the business, just like Trish Stratus). There was a reason behind all of his twisted obsession, and it will be explained very soon.**

**BTW, I may change the Unforgiven results just slightly to give Matt something to do (A chase for the Intercontinental Championship with a different champ, perhaps?). In this fiction, he didn't hurt his knee, so it wasn't necessary to take him out of action for so many months for him to have surgery. AAAHHH, you gotta love AU:)**

**REVIEWS = LOVE **


	14. Chapter 14

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I think if anyone wants to blame someone for the Kane/Lita/Matt storyline of 2004, it should be Dan Madigan. He was the guy who wrote the storyline and, in my opinion, ruined the careers of three WWE superstars. The way the story was written made it very difficult to feel any sympathy for Lita. But, if it had never been written, I wouldn't be writing this story.**

**It's now the night after Unforgiven. Since this is AU, I tweaked a couple of Unforgiven match outcomes. Christian won the Intercontinental Championship in the ladder match against Chris Jericho (sorry, Jerichoholics), and Victoria beat Trish to become the Women's Champion.**

_**Chapter Fourteen**_

_Seattle, WA_

_9/13/04_

Christian paced the floor in his dressing room in his street clothes, passively watching the in-ring festivities on closed circuit TV. Although his match against Chris Jericho the night before had reaped a much-deserved (in his mind, anyway) reward, the mood of the new Intercontinental Champion was considerably less than celebratory. It would have been nice to have celebrated his victory with his two closest friends on the road, but the disagreement he'd had with Trish and Tyson before his match had spoiled the party before it had even started.

Plopping down on the chair-and-a-half in the dressing room with a loud huff, Christian pinched the bridge of his nose and let the disagreement play in his head for the umpty-bazillionth time:

~~~LITA~~~

_"What's the big deal if he comes to ringside with me?" sniped Trish, as she followed Christian and Tyson down the hall. "First of all, you don't need anybody at ringside anyway."_

_Christian shook his head. "That's not the point, Trish. Once I win that championship, you never know when I'm gonna get attacked backstage or in the parking lot., or whatever. See, the point is that Tyson is my problem solver. Mine."_

_Trish glared back at her boyfriend. "Excuse me, but I think I remember you saying, Trish, if you have a problem, Tyson will be there to solve it."_

_"I said that?"_

_"Yeah. You said that."_

_"I don't remember saying that." Christian answered, honestly. He glanced over at his Problem Solver, hoping that he'd have his pal's back. "Tyson, did I say that?"_

_Before Tyson could answer, Trish interrupted. "It doesn't even matter. You know what? I'm the one who has a title to defend tonight, okay? Plus, apparently, I have a lunatic mystery woman waiting to jump me from behind."_

_Christian couldn't help himself, but his girlfriend's tone of voice was beginning to piss him off. "Believe me, it's not the first time someone's jumped you from behind," he snorted._

_Trish stared at her boyfriend like he'd just sprouted horns. "What's that supposed to mean?"_

_Inwardly, Christian facepalmed; he couldn't think of a good comeback. "What do_ you_ think it means?"_

_"You know what, why don't we let Tyson decide?"_

_"Fine, ask him."_

_Trish smirked. "Okay. Tyson, do you have a problem escorting me to the ring for the last time?"_

_Tyson cocked an eyebrow. "Uhmmm..."_

_Trish sidled up to the Problem Solver. "Well, before you answer that..." To Christian's shock, Trish started playing with Tyson's fu manchu. "Let me just say that after my match, maybe you can come to my dressing room and..." Christian could only look on in stunned silence as his girlfriend had the audacity to whisper something inappropriate in Tyson's ear._

_Tyson glanced over at Christian, and then looked back at Trish, who had a superior look on her face._

_"Good luck!" he smirked as he followed Trish down the hall, leaving Christian in the dust._

_Christian looked disgusted and dismayed as the Problem Solver-_his _Problem Solver!-walked away with Trish without a second glance. When they turned the corner and disappeared, he regained his voice and said just two words:_

_"You slut!"_

~~~LITA~~~

That exchange alone had placed Christian in a bad enough mood, but what happened after the show had made his mood even worse. Trish tried to corner him in the hotel lobby, clinging to him like human lint, and acting like nothing had happened. By this time, Christian had had enough and told Trish, rather angrily, to get out of his face. Tyson, sensing his buddy's surly mood, had kept his distance, and tonight, he was in another dressing room. Now, all three of them-Christian, Trish, and Tyson-were walking on eggshells around each other in an effort to keep the uneasy peace between them. The less spoken about the night before, each of them figured, the better.

_So much for picking up where we left off!_ Christian thought, discouraged. _Maybe I should reconsider this relationship. This has been a disaster ever since I got back. But I can't just up and quit on us now. Trish and I have been through way too much to just end it. I owe it to us to try a little harder._

_But I'm not ready to talk to her just yet. I know I'll say something to her that I'm gonna regret._

A brisk knock on the dressing room door roused Christian out of his tired reverie. Sighing, he got up, plodded towards the door and opened it. "Uh...hi?"

"Oops, I'm sorry!" The young woman in the doorway stepped back slightly, a blush staining her pale cheeks. "Wrong door," she mumbled, putting her hands into the front pockets of her slouchy jeans. "I was looking for Lita and Matt's room."

It was Matt and Lita's yippy little Jack Russell Terrier friend. The one who'd tagged along with them during Summerslam. The one who handed Matt the cup of soda pop that lead to Kane being kicked off of the RAW roster during the match at Unforgiven. There was word going around the locker room that Stephanie McMahon had decided to hire the little pipsqueak, but the rumors were neither denied nor confirmed yet.

Christian leaned up against the doorway. "Maybe you should look over to the left," he snorted. When the girl looked around in confusion, he added, "My left, your right."

The girl glanced to her right and saw the badge on the door that read _Christian Cage. _She shook her head in embarrassment. "Oh. Uhhh...sorry. Guess I...guess I got turned around."

"You're Matt and Lita's friend, aren't you? The chick who gave Matt the soda pop last night, right?"

The girl lifted up her head in surprise. "Yeah."

"And you ran into me in the hall the night after Summerslam. "

The girl chuckled sheepishly. "He-he, sorry about that."

"No harm done." Christian paused. "So, you have a name, Soda Pop Girl?"

"Cute," the girl snorted. "Anna. You're Christian. Saw your name on the door. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. Aren't you supposed to be wearing a badge or something?"

"Uhmmm...Stephanie signed me to a contract last night. I'm active talent."

"Really. Guess the rumors were true. Congratulations." Christian's smile was genuine.

"Thanks."

"You wrestle?"

"Not really. I'm backstage talent. Skits and interviews."

"Cool." Christian drew a little closer to Anna, a devious smirk on his lips. He sized up the little blonde-haired scrap and decided that she was cute, if not gorgeous. She wore a camisole top that was tie-dyed purple and magenta and midnight blue, and she wore a pewter dragon holding an amethyst from a black cord around her neck. Her nails were short and polished the same magenta shade as the one in her top. "You sure it's a good idea to be talking to me? I might corrupt you."

"What, do you have cooties or something?"

Christian wasn't expecting that. "Well...I have a reputation for being a, uhmmm...being a creepy little bastard."

Anna shook her head. "You don't look creepy to me."

Christian chuckled softly as he shook his head. "You don't know me very well, do you." He paused. "I guess we'll be seeing more of each other, huh?"

"I guess so." Anna glanced over her shoulder and caught a glimpse of someone. "I think that's Lita. I gotta go. We're gonna get something to eat in catering. I heard there's lemon cake for dessert. See you around."

Christian nodded. "Yeah. See you around." He watched Anna walk off, but then called out, "Hey, Anna." When she turned around, he said, "You'd look better in pink."

Anna smirked. "I hear that a lot. Bye." Just before she raced off to meet up with her friends, she said to herself, "He's cute."

~~~LITA~~~

_Later in the broadcast..._

"We are back here on Monday Night RAW," JR announced as Matt headed down the aisle to the ring. "And I can say unequivocally that this has been an eventful 24 hours for Matt Hardy and Lita. Last night, at Unforgiven, Matt purged his life and the life of the woman he loves, of the monster known as Kane in that Loser-Leave-RAW match."

"That was exciting enough, but I think some of the credit should go to that unidentified young woman who handed Matt the soda pop," added Lawler, who watched Matt climb gingerly into the ring (he was still smarting from the previous night). "Quite a refreshing win, no pun intended."

"And look at the Matt Fact, King: _Matt is ready for the next chapter in his life. _I think anything else that happens to him and Lita now is gonna be cake compared to what they've both gone through. Matt's probably tired and sore, but that smile on his face speaks volumes."

Matt waited until the crowd noise quieted down before he spoke. "I'm gonna get right to the point, folks. I know she's not 100 percent right now, especially after what she's had to go through the past several months. But I would like for the love of my life to come out here right now."

The capacity crowd erupted as Lita emerged from backstage. She wasn't able to perform her entrance dance yet, but she was able to raise an arm and wave to the ecstatic throng.

"One of the great superstars on her way to the ring. Former Women's Champion," JR said, as Matt looked on, beaming. She's been through so much-"

Lawler interrupted. "Here, JR. Take a Kleenex. I don't want you blubbering, I know how you get. It's gonna be one of those great moments, I know it."

"They look happy," smiled JR, as Matt held the ring ropes open so that Lita could step in. "And deservedly so. I'm happy for them. They're genuinely good people."

Matt waited a moment. "Lita, I know that we've been through so much these past months. And I can't begin to put into words how much I love you. But, you know what? I don't wanna tell you how much I love you. I wanna show you."

He sighed, and then got down on one knee, as the fans roared in approval.

"Wow!" Lawler couldn't contain himself. "Right in front of everyone."

JR wondered, "Is it me, King, or is there a feeling of _déjà vu _in the arena?"

"Oh, don't get cold feet now, Matt!"

"It's breathless anticipation, folks!" JR exclaimed.

Matt fumbled around in the pocket of his jeans until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out the tiny red velvet box and opened it. Lita gasped as she saw the wide gold band with the twinkling, pear-shaped diamond.

"He's been hanging onto that for quite a while!" JR pointed out to the viewing audience.

"I didn't realize how big that rock was, JR! I'd have to go into hock up to my eyeballs to afford a ring like that."

"Does that bring back some bad memories for you, King?"

"Not for me, no."

Gently, Matt took Lita by the hand and gazed up at her.

"Lita...Lita...Will you marry me?"

Lita was rendered speechless with joy. This was the moment that she and Matt had fought so hard for. It symbolized the end of all the heartache, pain and horror they'd endured for so many months. It was the beginning of the Happily Ever After they both deserved.

As she gazed down at Matt's handsome, hopeful face, Lita finally regained the ability to speak...

"Liiiiitaaaaa? Oh,_ Liiiiitaaaaa?"_

Lita and Matt practically jumped as they turned abruptly to the entrance ramp. Lita's heart nearly stopped as she recognized the voice and the face.

Kane was on the Titantron screen, a leering smile on his lips, his features made ghoulish by the lack of lights.

_No! _Lita thought sickly. _He's not supposed to be here! Stephanie promised there'd be extra security! _She wanted to say something, but once more the power of speech had escaped her.

"Before you answer that question," wheedled Kane. "Don't you think there's something you should tell Matty?"

Lita stared at him, confused. _I haven't got anything I need to say to him! What is he talking about?_

"Well, let me tell him for you. Matt, that baby she's carrying...it isn't yours. It's_...mine."_

Lita's stomach flopped over sickeningly. _I'm not pregnant anymore, Kane! Why are you saying this? Why can't you leave us alone, for God's sake!_

Matt glared at the Big Red Machine and erupted. _"Kane, you liar! You lying bastard! Kane, you wanna mess with us? Come back out here! You wanna try and ruin our lives? Then you come out here and let me ruin your life, you son of a -"_

Kane chuckled sickly. "Matt, if you don't believe me, then why don't you just ask Lita?"

Lita hung her head in disbelief, thinking _This can't be happening again! This wasn't supposed to happen! Why is he back here and trying to ruin us again! NO! NO! NO!_

Out of the corner of her eye, Lita could see Matt staring at Lita. He looked complete gutted as he shook his head at her. Lita felt a lump in her throat, and her eyes prickled. Before she realized it, she was sobbing uncontrollably in the middle of the ring.

"I told you, Lita. You are now..._my property."_ rumbled Kane's voice.

"YOU BASTARD!" Lita screamed, lifting her head up and locking her eyes with the frightening image on the Titantron.

Kane shook his head. "It doesn't matter if you marry the little Hardy bitch," he chuckled. "Because you are still mine to do with, as I see fit. There is no escape, Lita. From this day forward, until the day... you... die. You... are... _still... mine..."_

_"NOOOOO!"_ wailed Lita, covering her ears with her hands and shutting her eyes. She stomped blindly around the ring in fury. _"NOT AGAIN! NO! YOU'RE NOT GONNA DO THIS TO ME AGAIN!"_

When she uncovered her ears and opened her eyes, she noticed that the arena lights had dimmed, and she couldn't make out any fans in the seats. The only lights she could see were from the emergency EXIT signs scattered throughout the arena. There was only enough light for Lita to make out the shape of a man in the center of the ring.

"Matt?" she ventured cautiously, drawing closer. The first thought that crossed her mind was, _That's not Matt! He's not that tall-_

_"Surprise, Lita!"_

Lita screamed as Kane, wearing his white tuxedo, leered down at her. Every cell in her body screamed RUN! GET OUT! GO! but she was frozen in place as her worst nightmare reached down and grabbed her around her neck.

_"You're mine, Bitch!"_ he hissed as he lifted her high up into the air...

Suddenly, the image disappeared, and Lita found herself standing at the other end of the ring. Her heart was racing, her chest was tight, and she realized she was hyperventilating. A worried hush had fallen over the crowd. White-faced, she forced herself to glance up at the Titantron. An image of her freaked-out expression stared back at her. Kane was nowhere to be seen.

Matt was behind her. He had stood up and had cautiously approached her, a soft, concerned look on his face.

"Oh, Lita!" JR sighed sadly.

"Don't do this, Lita!" Lawler warned. "Don't break our hearts."

"I can't do this!" moaned Lita, as Matt took her gently into his arms. Tears rolled down her face as she shook her head. "I'm so scared, Matt. I don't know..."

Matt's voice was gentle and soft enough to be hidden beneath what little crowd noise there was at the moment. "Lita baby, if you don't wanna do this, I'll understand. It's okay."

Lita struggled to get the words out. "I wanna do this, Matt. It's just that-"

Matt stroked the side of Lita's face. "Lita, whatever it is, it doesn't matter. We've seen each other at our absolute worst. We've been through absolute hell, Lita. Anything else we go through now can't possibly be worse than what we've just gone through. It's gonna be okay."

Lita glanced up at Matt and nodded.

"You sure you wanna do this?"

Lita nodded. "I'm sure."

Matt kissed the top of her head. The two of them broke the embrace and stepped back. Grinning, Matt got back down on one knee, and the fans cheered in relief.

JR was just as relieved as the audience. "They're gonna try this again, folks!"

"I gotta sit on my hands, JR!" Lawler gushed.

"Lita...Lita..." Matt was shaky with joyous anticipation. "Will you marry me?"

Lita nodded and smiled back. "...Yes!"

The audience erupted into huge cheers; any louder, and they would have blown the roof off of the arena.

"They're gonna get their Happily Ever After, folks!" JR whooped in joy as Matt slipped the ring onto Lita's finger.

"And this is one wedding I'll be looking forward to, JR!" Lawler chimed in, as the newly engaged couple embraced and kissed in the center of the ring-much to the delight of the fans. "Congratulations, Matt and Lita!"

~~~LITA~~~

"Christian?"

Trish rapped on the dressing room door. She had just finished washing up after being humiliated in a six-diva tag match earlier in the evening, during which Stacy Keibler had pinned Molly Holly. It was just another event in what was quite possibly the most horrible 24 hours of her life. She'd lost her Women's Championship to Victoria thanks to interference from the mystery fan, who turned out to be a guy in drag named Stevie Richards (thankfully, Tyson dispatched of him in a hurry) and now, because of her smart mouth, her boyfriend wanted nothing to do with her. "Come on, Baby. Open the door. I'm sorry. Tyson and I didn't do anything last night. I was just trying to make you jealous.

Christian glared at the doorway. "Go away, Trish!"

"Please, open the door, Baby. I'm sorry. You know I'd never do that to you. I love you."

"You have one helluva way of showing it," Christian snapped. "Now bug off!"

"Just a minute with you, Christian, please," Trish sobbed. "Open the door."

With an exasperated sigh, Christian flung open the door. "Fine. One minute."

"Oh, thank you! Thank you-"

"Fifty-eight seconds," Christian reminded her, coldly.

The words came out in a rush, and Trish tried her best to keep from going into full-blown babble mode. "I'm really, really sorry about last night. I've just been freaking out the past few weeks, what with that creepy guy in drag stalking me and all. I know Tyson's your problem solver, and you loaned his services to me, and I shouldn't have forced him to make a decision like that. I just thought you were strong and capable enough to be able to take care of things on your own. And with everything that's been going on since you've been back, I just wanted to know that you'd still be willing to take up for me, even if it meant riling you up like I did."

Christian shook his head in disbelief. "What the hell possessed you to do something that stupid, Trish? I'd step in front of a bullet for you. You should know that by now."

"I know, Christian, I don't know why I did it. I really don't. It's..." Trish threw her head in her hands. "God, this is becoming such a train wreck."

Christian felt his hard heart begin to soften. Gently he lifted Trish's face up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "If you were feeling so insecure about us, then you should have said something. We could have talked it out."

"I know that now," Trish sniffled.

"Y'know, you're making it really difficult for me to wanna keep our relationship going."

Trish nodded. "I know. But at least I haven't been bugging Lita anymore."

Christian couldn't help nodding. "True," he chuckled, drawing his girlfriend close.

"I think it's past a minute," Trish said quietly, snuggling into her boyfriend's embrace.

"Doesn't matter. Y'know, you lost your championship last night. Maybe it'll give you some time to work on us."

"But you've got your own championship to defend now."

"Doesn't matter. We'll make time if we have to."

Trish looked up, her eyes misty. "Christian, why do you wanna be with me?"

"Why would you ask a question like that?"

"Because obviously, I'm insane, or at least I drive you crazy."

Christian placed his finger gently against Trish's lips. "You do drive me crazy, Trish. In a good way. Besides, I wouldn't be standing here talking to you if I didn't love you."

Trish's voice was hopeful. "You still love me? Warts and all?"

"Warts and all," Christian reassured her softly as he drew her in for a kiss.

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: When the hell did Trish become so high-maintenance? *SMH* Not that I mind it; it's adding to the story. But I guess my Trish muse was feeling kinda insecure because Lita was getting so much attention in the previous chapters. Poor Christian, though, having to put up with all her drama. You think those two can work something out?**

**BTW, if you're confused with Kane showing up in this chapter, don't panic. It was all in Lita's head, but she's definitely gonna have to make peace of some kind if she and Matt are gonna have the future they both deserve. AND, I will explain how Anna wound up getting hired in the next chapter.**

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	15. Chapter 15

_**Chapter Fifteen**_

"Stephanie hired me as a plant," Anna explained to Matt later that evening in catering. Earlier, a rather large crowd consisting of ring talent and backstage crew had gathered around the table that Matt, Lita and Anna were seated at. Most of them were there to gawk at Lita's engagement ring and congratulate the happy couple. A few of them congratulated Anna for getting signed to a contract. The crowd had since died down, leaving just Matt, Lita, and their surrogate kid sister. "After the match, Stephanie and I had a nice little discussion. She liked what she saw of me on camera, and decided to offer me a development deal."

Matt smiled. "Congratulations." Then, his expression grew serious. "You're not gonna be competing, are you?"

"Thanks. And no, I won't be in a ring. It's gonna be backstage skits, interviews, maybe going to ringside to cheer you guys on."

"Lita and I can't help but worry about you. I mean, you've hung out with us enough to pick up a few things, but you aren't ready for prime-time by any stretch."

"I can take care of myself, don't freak. And Stephanie knows that I can't wrestle." A pause. "But I know that's not the only reason you're worried about me. That's already been addressed."

Matt nodded, a knowing look on his face. So many of Matt and Lita's contemporaries had succumbed to various addictions through the years, and Anna, with her history of substance abuse, was particularly vulnerable to those snares. Anna knew that as long as she surrounded herself with healthy people, she would be at less of a risk.

So, she had signed the contract Stephanie offered her on one condition; that she Lita, and Matt all stayed together. Which meant that if Stephanie suddenly got it in her head to transfer one of them to Smackdown, then the other two would have to go as well. A package deal. Stephanie had sighed and faux-complained about being over a barrel, but she'd graciously agreed.

A comfortable silence passed as Anna nibbled at her cake. It was lemon, her favorite, with whip cream frosting and shredded coconut on top. "Mmmm. This cake's awesome. You guys should have this flavor for your wedding."

Lita shook her head. "I'm not a big fan of cake with fruit flavors, and neither's Matt."

Anna's jaw dropped. "You don't like fruit flavors?" she gasped, looking genuinely surprised. "Even the rainbow cake I make for you guys? You know, the one where I bake the white cake and then poke holes in it and pour the Jello in it and frost it with Cool Whip? That's the one everyone eats when I take it over to your house for barbecues."

Matt looked sheepish. "We just eat it to be polite, sorry."

"You guys suck!" Anna glared at them both. "See if I make you anything nice again."

"Aww, we're sorry. Lita and I should have said something earlier."

"Well if you guys don't eat it, what do you do with it? I hope you don't throw it away."

"Well, let's just say that Dad's girlfriend wants your recipe."

Anna sighed in relief. "At least it's going to a good place. Sharon's his girlfriend, right? Sharon Peters?" Matt nodded, and Anna finished her cake slice.

"You can make Matt and me a German chocolate cake," Lita suggested.

Anna shook her head. "German chocolate cake doesn't translate well into a wedding cake."

"You could make a groom cake," Matt offered as a suggestion.

"That'll have to be Aunt Del's job. She makes a mean German chocolate cake." Anna leaned to the side. "Lemme see your ring again, Lita." Lita proudly held out her hand, and Anna whistled softly, impressed. "That's you, totally. How many carats?"

"Two."

"Matt, you didn't mortgage your house for this, did you?"

Matt shook his head. "No way. It was my mom's engagement ring," he explained, as Lita nodded and smiled softly. It means a lot more to us than if I'd gone out and bought one at the store."

"Aww, that's cool." Anna couldn't help but grin. Her gaze traveled to the far end of the room. Christian and his entourage, Trish and Tyson, entered the catering area, each of them grabbing some goodies before taking their seats. Christian and Tyson were smirking and sharing a few laughs. Trish looked bored and was clinging to her boyfriend like Velcro.

"There she is," Anna sighed. "The Queen Bee. Is it true that she and Christian are on the outs?"

"Where'd you hear that?" Lita cocked an eyebrow.

"Last night. Trish was all over him like a cheap suit, and he told her off. Then earlier this evening, before the Highlight Reel, she was knocking on his dressing room door trying to get him to talk to her."

"That's the first time I heard of that. I know that ever since Christian's come back, they've been fighting more often than not." Lita paused. And why would you be interested in what those two are doing? Last time I checked, you didn't like Trish."

"I don't. But I gotta confess. Christian is kinda cute."

Matt sighed in disgust. "Anna, maybe you think he's cute, but you need to stay away from him. He's bad news."

"Why's he bad news?" Anna reached for her bottle of water and sipped out of it.

"He's one of the reasons Trish and I are no longer friends," Lita explained. "He and Jericho had a bet going on. They bet one another one Canadian dollar as to who could have sex with Trish and me first. Long story short, Trish hooked up with Christian and killed our friendship."

"That's how much of a creepy little bastard he really is," added Matt. "You want more proof, think back to tonight's Highlight Reel and the rematch he had with Jericho. Actually, his Problem Solver did all his dirty work."

"He doesn't look creepy to me," Anna shrugged.

"Anna, he is." Matt's voice was soft with worry. "Lita and I are just trying to look out for you. Just...don't get involved with him. He's nothing but trouble, and all he'll do is break your heart."

Anna nodded and looked at Matt is if to say, Whatever. She rose from her chair. "Victoria's waving at me. I think she wants me to sit by her. My phone'll be on if you need me."

"Don't stray too far," Lita cautioned her. "They're gonna be closing up soon."

"I'm your guys's ride back to your hotel," laughed Anna, glancing over her shoulder. "I should be warning you not to stray too far."

When the little blonde had escaped earshot, Lita sighed and rested her head on her fiancé's shoulder. "I hope Anna doesn't get herself in trouble."

"Babe, she's twenty-six. I think she's old enough to take care of herself."

"I hope so, but I can't help worrying."

~~~LITA~~~

_It was a charged-up Highlight Reel. Chris Jericho talked about having a chance to win the Intercontinental title for the record breaking SEVENTH time, and letting it slip away. He then introduced his guest, the man who beat him at Unforgiven the night before - Christian!_

_An arrogant Christian, accompanied by Tyson Tomko (they'd made up for the argument the night before), gloated about how gratifying it was to beat Y2J's sorry butt the night before. Y2J fired back, admitting the victory was impressive but not as impressive as the cage match that took Christian out of commission for 3 months! As the crowd roared, and Christian seethed, Jericho challenged his former buddy to a rubber match for the Intercontinental title, announcing that if anybody deserved an Intercontinental title shot, then it was him!_

_At that point, Stephanie McMahon appeared on the titantron and made a match; Christian vs Y2J. When Christian protested, Stephanie ordered him to change into his gear!_

_Christian had a trick up his sleeve to defend his newly acquired championship. Tyson Tomko entered the ring to defend his pal's Intercontinental Championship, much to Y2J's chagrin and the outrage of the fans! In spite of the surprise, it was a good back and forth match until Tyson tossed Y2J out of the ring. Christian hit the UnPrettier on Y2J on the ringside floor and tossed him back in for Tyson to pin. After the match ended, Tyson and Christian escaped backstage. No doubt they would get an earful from the interim GM, but neither of them cared._

~~~LITA~~~

The dressing room was filled with the sounds of laughter and happy chatter. Victoria, Anna and Nidia were hovering over Lita like a flock of mother hens, making sure that her hair and makeup and dress and accessories were absolutely perfect.

Stacy stood behind the bride-to-be, working on her hair. "Oh, that's gonna look so pretty, Lita."

Anna pulled something out of a garment bag. "Oh, wow! I'm so in love with your dress," she smiled, admiring the snowy white satin and embroidered train and fluffing out the full skirt.

"I thought it was appropriate." Lita winced, and then glanced up at Stacy, putting her hand to the side of her head. "Ouch, that...that kinda hurt a little bit, but tonight, you can do no wrong."

Anna handed Lita a bottle of water, and the bride-to-be sipped at it gratefully.

Just then, there was a knock on the dressing room door. "Come in," Lita said, before the door opened and Matt entered the room. "Hi!"

"Hey." Matt smiled at the flock of bridesmaids. "Hey, girls, do you mind giving us a few minutes alone, please?"

Lita stood up as the girls filed out. "So, what's up?"

Matt blushed slightly. "Uhmm...I just had something I wanted to give you before the wedding. I know I'm flirting with disaster, you know, it's bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony," he explained, handing Lita a tiny box wrapped in gold paper. "But I couldn't resist."

Lita unwrapped the box, her face an expression of delight. "You got me something?"

Matt nodded. "That's the something I left to take care of."

"Oh, my gosh!" Lita opened the box to reveal an antique-looking ring. "It's...it's beautiful!"

"It's old and blue," Matt explained. "It's a sapphire. It belonged to my mom, I had it resized for you. You like it?"

Lita smiled. "I love it!"

"I wanted you to have something like this for a long time," Matt beamed, as he slipped the ring on Lita's finger.

Lita couldn't stop the grin that spread across her face. "Oh, Baby! I love it so much! I love you!" she exclaimed happily as she and Matt embraced. "Thank you so much!"

~~~LITA~~~

Lita gazed at her reflection in the mirror. She had slipped into the wedding gown and put on the matching veil. The dress was quite flattering, with a halter style neckline that left her shoulders bare. It was embellished with delicate white embroidery that gave the dress enough detail without it being too ostentatious. The back had a short train trimmed in white lace. It was a beautiful dress, one that Lita was happy to wear.

A slow smile spread across her face as she turned away from the mirror and picked up the bouquet of blood-red roses off the table in front of her. It was time.

~~~LITA~~~

The familiar strains of the Bridal Chorus rang through the arena as Lita glided joyfully down the aisle to the ring, which had been transformed into an elegant wedding chapel decked out in red roses. The color scheme was red-red roses, a red carpet on the aisle and the ring, red satin dresses for the bridesmaids and maid of honor and matching cummerbunds for the groomsmen and best man. There were even red roses entwined along the trellis archway in the center of the ring.

Matt would be waiting for her, with a breathtaking smile on his face, and it was only a matter of time before they would joyously recite the vows that would make them both husband and wife.

The pastor smiled at Lita and opened up a Bible. Leaning into a microphone, he asked, "Who gives away this woman?"

Lita felt big hands part her veil, and she gazed up adoringly at her husband-to-be...

...only he wasn't who she thought he was. Lita's heart nearly stopped as she stared in horror at the massive, bald-headed man in the snow-white tuxedo. His mismatched eyes twinkled cruelly.

"I do," Kane rumbled

Lita shook her head in shock _No no no no!_ she thought, her ability to speak abandoning her.

"SURPRISE!"

Lita spun around and gasped. _Where is everyone?_ she wondered frantically. Victoria, Anna and Nidia weren't standing behind her. In their place were Molly, Jazz and Gail, each of them giggling and smiling cruelly, obviously enjoying Lita's discomfort and terror.

Stacy, the maid of honor, had disappeared. Standing in her place, with a plastic smile on her face, was Trish.

Trish wore a low cut bra of white lace that pushed her breasts up almost to her chin and displayed her cleavage. Her white lace thigh-high stockings and panties matched the bra, and her sheer lacy coat left little to the imagination.

She sidled up to Lita and smirked. "Congratulations on your big day, Sweetie. All you have to do is open your legs like you did last time, and everything will be just fine..."

~~~LITA~~~

...Gasping, Lita sat upright in bed in a cold sweat, with her heart racing. The dream had been so real and so vivid, that she thought the nightmare wedding scenario was actually taking place. _It was only a bad dream! _she tried to tell herself. _Just a bad dream! Just a bad dream! Kane's gone! Trish won't be bothering you anymore. Kane's never gonna hurt you again!_

Lita willed herself to slow down her heart and then glanced over to the nightstand. It was nearly one in the morning, and she, Anna, and Matt had left the arena hours ago. To her right, in a separate bed, Anna snored lightly as she snoozed, blissfully unaware of her roommate's distress.

Lita shook her head. _Anna Hollenbeck, The Girl Who Could Sleep Through The Apocolypse, _she thought with a wry chuckle. No doubt that Anna's friendship with Matt and Lita, as well as her desire to be part of the upcoming wedding was one of the bigger reasons Stephanie signed her to a development contract till the end of the year.

She gazed over at her sleeping friend, a look of worry on her face. As she tried to get comfortable again, Lita let her thoughts wander. Stephanie had been going out of her way to accommodate and help both her and Matt out. Signing Anna to a contract was an example of that. The proposed trade to Smackdown if the outcome of the Unforgiven match was in Kane's favor was another. Perhaps she was making up for the mistreatment that Bischoff had gleefully allowed to happen on his watch. Or it was merely to make Stephanie look good. Whatever the reason, it was greatly appreciated.

_I hope the worst is finally past us, _Lita thought as she closed her eyes and fell back to a restless sleep.

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I hope the reason I made for Anna being signed to a WWE contract was plausible. If it wasn't, I'm really sorry. Just for the record, Anna is NOT a diva, and I have no intentions of making her compete in a ring. I consider her presence as a throwback to the Golden Age of the WWF, kinda like Miss Elizabeth and Randy Savage. And if she's too Mary Sue-ish, please let me know and I'll try to tone it down.**

**BTW, the name of Gil's girlfriend was inspired by an episode from Season Two of The Hardy Show called A Random Day. Gil joked that he had a new girlfriend named Sharon Peters (a bit of an inside joke!). Gil's my kind of guy!XD Anyone who can crack jokes and jam with Al Capone is pretty damn cool!**

**The dialog where Matt is seeing Lita before her nightmare wedding was borrowed from the 2/11/02 edition of RAW.**

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	16. Chapter 16

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Thought I'd give a shout-out to a very talented author on this site. Bob Wright is a great writer, and his specialty is the "Golden Age" of the WWF, back when Hogan, Savage, Steamboat, etc. ruled. Check out his work, and give him some feedback. He would definitely appreciate it.**

** u/473823/Bob_Wright**

**Okay, we're headed to Tucson, Arizona for the 9/20/04 taping of RAW.**

_**Chapter Sixteen**_

Anna nodded at the reflection in the mirror of her powder compact. She and Nidia had just had their hair and makeup done backstage by the staff makeup artists. "I love the colors you used on me. And where'd you get the peppermint lip stuff?"

"It's peppermint Chapstick mixed with light red lip color," smiled the makeup artist. "Now, I used a teal green liner for your eyes to match your top. I didn't want your lips and eyes competing for attention, especially with your shirt such an intense color, so I tried to keep the lips a little softer."

"I like it, thanks."

"You're welcome," the makeup girl smiled. "Good luck out there."

"Thank you. See ya' Jan."

Anna stepped out of the hair and makeup area, Nidia right next to her. Nidia gave her an appraising glance. "You'd look better in pink."

"I get that a lot." A smirk crossed Anna's face as she and Nidia reached the catering area. "Hey, I need a drink. I'll catch up."

"Don't get into trouble," Nidia laughed, before leaving the new girl to her task.

Whistling, Anna poured herself a soda pop, with plenty of ice in her cup. She was reaching for a straw and a lid when Trish sidled right up to her.

"Hi, Anna," Trish purred as she practically invaded Anna's personal space. "What's up?"

"Hi, Trish," Anna said coolly. She tried to step around Trish, but the former Women's Champion blocked her way.

"How's it going?"

Anna gave Trish as stern a look as she could. "Trish," she said, her voice firm, but polite. "Will you please get out of my way?"

Trish backed up a step, a look of faux-surprise on her face. "Hey, no need to be so testy. I just wanted to congratulate you on joining the roster and welcome you to the WWE."

"I already got a nice welcome last week, thank you."

Trish had a puzzled look on her face. "So what exactly will you be doing?"

"I'm accompanying Matt to ringside tonight. Then I have backstage skits, later I might do an interview. I had one with Jim Ross earlier."

"Well, congratulations," Trish said, her smile fake. "You get to stand there and look pretty, I guess. So, you're Matt and Lita's little friend, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, you must be sooooo excited about them getting married. Finally, true love prevailed, and now they can be together and start their lives as husband and wife." A pause. "I can't think of two people who deserve each other more than they do."

Anna cocked an eyebrow. "Deserve each other? What's _that _supposed to mean?"

"Well, I mean, look," Trish explained. "Matt won at Vengeance because Lita distracted Kane long enough for Matt to hit him with a chair. Then, at Unforgiven, he beat Kane because he threw a soda pop in Kane's face. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it you that handed Matt the soda pop?"

Anna got right to the point. "OK Trish. Knowing you, this conversation is gonna go south in a hurry. So what's your point?"

Well, that wasn't what Trish was expecting. A smarmy look graced her face as she fired back with, "My point, Sweetheart, is that Matt Hardy is a loser who has to hide behind a woman to win his matches."

Anna narrowed her eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah. Really."

Anna snorted. "Well, your boyfriend's the Intercontinental Champion, and he _still_ hangs out with losers."

Whatever fake cheerfulness Trish had disappeared. "What's THAT supposed to mean?"

"You lost your Women's Championship at Unforgiven, and Tyson hasn't won any titles since he showed up here on RAW." Anna grinned. "You do the math."

Trish snarled. "Why, you little-" Her tirade was cut short as Nidia grabbed Trish by the shoulder and spun her around.

The Latina diva got right into the former champion's face and shouted in rapid-fire Spanish, "Hey! _¿Qué diablos estás haciendo, jugar con mi amigo así? ¿Qué le hecho yo para ti? Ir a buscar a alguien más! Recogida de mí! Usted quiere una pelea? Hey, mira! ¡Mírame! Usted quiere pelear conmigo! Ven y lucha conmigo, te voy a dar una pelea, perra!"_ Nidia snapped her fingers. _"Al igual que este! "_

Trish shook her head. "Sorry. I don't speak German. Why don't you try a language that I understand."

Anna shoved Trish and said, "Here. I'll translate!" And with that, she threw her soda pop into Trish's face. Trish shouted in surprise and recoiled, angrily peeling her now wet hair away from her face.

And the new girl wasn't done yet. "By the way, that was Spanish, _Pendeja!" _Tossing the cup in Trish's face she walked off. "Hey, Nidia! Wait up!"

~~~LITA~~~

"…Oh, yeah! I can slap a tornado, I can dry up a sea! When I live for the moment, there ain't no f?king with me!"

Matt emerged on the entrance ramp, Anna on his left, Lita on his right, as the fans roared their approval.

"The following contest is scheduled for one fall," announced Lillian Garcia. "Introducing first, being accompanied by Lita and Anna, from Cameron, North Carolina, weighing in at 229 pounds, Matt Hardy Version 1!"

"It's great to see Matt Hardy and Lita back together again," JR announced happily, as the trio began their walk towards ringside. "Especially after all the hell they've been through!"

"Absolutely, JR! And that Matt Fact, Matt's life is better with Lita in it! And check this, he's got himself a little harem, JR." Lawler watched as Matt slipped into the ring and held the ropes open, first for Lita, and then for Anna. "That new girl, she's kinda cute."

Lita and Matt posed on the turnbuckles. Anna stepped back and pointed at them both, applauding and whistling her approval.

"I agree wholeheartedly about Matt's life being better with Lita in it, King."

"You know, it's always great to find that one special person you wanna annoy for the rest of your life."

"Ha, ha!" JR snorted, as Matt and Lita lifted each of Anna's hands into the air. "And that cute little thing accompanying them both is the young lady they consider a surrogate kid sister."

"Anna. That's her name, right?"

"It is. She was signed by the RAW interim GM, Stephanie McMahon, last week as developmental talent."

Lillian continued her ring introductions. "And his opponent, from San Antonio, Texas, weighing in at 253 pounds, Garrison Cade!"

"Garrison Cade has been on quite a roll the past few weeks. Let's see if Cade can continue that roll. Hardy, off that emotional win at Unforgiven, and just 24 hours ago, on Sunday Night Heat, he defeated a competitor named Rudy Bobbaganooch in very convincing fashion, hoping to continue his hot streak." Anna and Lita climbed out of the ring. "Everything has been going so well now for him and Lita."

"Outside the ring, I'm sure it's been fantastic, but within the squared circle, you have business to take care of. And with Lita and the new girl outside the ring, that's gonna be quite a distraction. He's gonna have to keep his eye out on both of them. And if he doesn't watch out, this kid in the ring could take Hardy apart."

"I don't think that's gonna be a problem. Matt wouldn't let Lita, or Anna, out there if he didn't think they could handle their own business."

At ringside, Lita leaned over and asked, "You doing okay?"

"Yeah," Anna nodded. "But I think the camerman's staring at my ass."

Matt locked in an arm twist to a headlock, but Cade busted out and drove an elbow into Matt's face, forcing him to stagger back. "A big elbow by Cade on the break," JR said. "The ref admonishing Cade as he tosses Version 1 into the corner and ignores the referee's verbal command." Cade knocked Hardy down onto the mat. "The kid from San Antonio has been racking up quite a few W's these past few weeks."

Matt reversed an Irish whip. Cade stopped short before he crashed into the turnbuckle and was met by a vicious right hand by his opponent. Matt raised his arms up and flashed the Hardy Gunz sign at Lita and Anna, as his female companions cheered and applauded.

JR continued his commentary. "A big time right hand by Matt Hardy, and Hardy going downstairs on Garrison Cade. A reversal by the youngster, and Cade with a slingshot move off the ropes. That'll turn the momentum that Matt has in a hurry. Cade going for the cover, and Hardy quickly kicking out. A blatant choke right in front of the referee. Let's see the replay. Hardy just went downtown with that roundhouse right."

"It didn't keep Cade down for long, did it? Cade's throwing a few punches of his own now."

Anna shouted encouragements at Matt. "C'mon, Matty!"

"That's Anna's surrogate big brother in trouble in the ring," JR explained to the viewers at home. "I had a chance to interview Anna before the broadcast. She's been friends with Matt and Lita for a few years. She said that they were the first two real friends she made when she moved to North Carolina from Missouri. She's originally from Springfield, and she grew up in the Nixa area. An only child, by the way." A pause. "Cade's a very tough young man." Cade floored Hardy with a vicious right of his own. Matt's head bounced off the canvas as he went down, and Lita flinched. "Lita's looking on with a concerned look on her face. And there's another cover. Hardy barely able to get out of that one."

"Come on, JR! I'm happy to see Matt and Lita together, but admit it. She and her little girlfriend are a distraction," Lawler countered.

"Matt and Lita will be touring the United Kingdom with the RAW roster in October. Matt said before the broadcast that he and Lita will be making up for lost time. Ooh! Cade and Matt trading punches now. A right by Cade, and a right by Hardy. Just trading blows, now. It's turned into a slugfest!"

"It has," Lawler paused. "Anna's not coming with them, is she?"

"She said she doesn't know yet. That decision will be made by the interim GM, Stephanie McMahon. Hardy reverses that Irish Whip, and Cade dumped over the top rope and onto the arena floor! Hardy showing his experience and his toughness, and…"

"JR, did he just wave to the girls?"

"Not sure—Hardy with a cross-body over the top rope, and it found its mark!" JR exclaimed, as Lita and Anna shouted and whistled at the risky maneuver.

"Do you think Matt would have taken that risky shot if the girls weren't there? That can be a curse and a blessing, with those two at ringside."

"He probably would have, King. Matt is known for taking some high risks. But you would know all about women problems." Matt hit Cade with the Side Effect. "Wow! Hardy planting Cade into the mat. A cover—Cade kicks out, barely."

Matt climbed to his feet to set up his next move, but Cade hit him with a short-arm clothesline. "A hard shot. Cade's not going down that easily." Matt clutched the back of his head as Garrison attempted to set him up for a piledriver. Matt reversed the attempt and back body-dropped Cade onto the canvas. Matt staggered into a corner to catch his breath, as Lita and Anna shouted at him.

Cade charged into the corner, but Matt put his feet up at the last minute and drove them into the youngster's face. Cade dropped to the mat, and Matt climbed onto the second turnbuckle. With a shout, jumped off the turnbuckle and nailed Cade with a leg drop. "Matt's taking some chances here tonight," JR pointed out. "You can crash and burn, or you—"

Lawler interrupted as Matt set up his opponent. "Actually these chances are paying off."

Matt let out a yell. "Hardy—wow! A textbook Twist of Fate!" JR exclaimed. "A cover—and Hardy beats the red-hot Garrison Cade!"

Lita and Anna high-fived in triumph and climbed into the ring as Matt's entrance music started up.

Matt let the ref raise his arm, and then offered a hand to his defeated opponent. "Helluva match, Kid." Cade nodded in respect as Matt helped him up.

"Thanks," he said. "It was bound to end sooner or later," he added, referring to his win streak. "I'm glad I lost to you." And with those words, he climbed out of the ring and headed backstage for a nice hot shower and rubdown from the trainers.

JR grinned as Lita and Anna raised each of Matt's hands into the air in victory. "Maybe those two girls are Matt's good luck charms. Anna's a Sagittarius, they're naturally lucky. That luck might have rubbed off on Matt tonight-"

"JR!" Lawler cut him off. "Who's coming to ringside?"

JR glanced over and scratched his head. "What the…it's Trish Stratus! Trish, who defeated Nidia earlier this evening, is charging down the aisle, and she does not look like she's here to celebrate…"

~~~LITA~~~

Matt and the girls glanced over to the entrance ramp, and Lita was the first to speak. "What the hell?"

"Great," Anna shook her head. "It's the Queen Bee."

Trish looked angry. Her freshly washed hair was slicked back from her face. A snarl was firmly in place on her lips as she slid into the ring and shoved her new nemesis. "You little bitch!" she spat. "How dare you embarrass me like you did!"

Anna squeaked in surprise as she stumbled backwards. She had to grab the ring ropes to keep from falling down. She recovered and fired back. "Embarrass you?" She narrowed her eyes and got right into Trish's face. "You had the nerve to call Matt a loser! The only loser around here is you!"

"Holy smoke, JR!" Lawler exclaimed. "She's got some guts!"

"Like a Jack Russell terrier taking on a Rottweiler," JR answered back.

In the ring, the angry verbal exchange continued. "Don't you DARE call me a loser! I busted my butt to get here! You just got lucky!"

"Stop it, Trish! I don't wanna fight you—" Anna exclaimed just before Trish snarled and shoved her to the canvas. The live audience shouted as the new girl fell to the mat.

"Oh!" both commentators gasped.

"What did Anna ever do to Trish?" Lawler asked.

Matt helped his surrogate sister up and stepped in front of her. "Stay out of the way," he warned her gently. Anna, sensing the danger, nodded.

"TRISH! LEAVE HER ALONE!" Lita shouted, getting into the Queen Bee's face. Although she wasn't 100 percent yet, Lita proved that she could hold her own and backhanded the former Women's Champion in the face.

That was it! Trish pounced on Lita like a cat and the two of them fell to the canvas. Snarling and screaming at each other, the two divas rolled around, each one trying to get the best of the other.

_"You worthless, piece of trash gutter slut!" _Trish screeched. _"The only reason Matt's with you is because he was willing to settle for sloppy seconds!"_

_"That's not true, and you know it!"_ Lita fired back. _"You dumped a perfectly good man to shack up with a loser!"_

_"MY BOYFRIEND IS NOT A LOSER!"_

_"TRISH, GET THE F?K OFF OF HER!"_

Trish glanced up in time to see her boyfriend yank her off of Lita. "Did you see what she did—"

"Leave it, Trish!" Christian snapped. "Let it go. She's not worth it!"

"But—"

"LEAVE IT!" The tone in Christian's voice gave Trish no room to argue. Seething, Trish let her boyfriend drag her by the hand out of the ring.

But not before she could get the last word. "This ain't over by a long shot!"

_"Bring it, bitch!" _Lita shot back, climbing to her feet.

Matt snarled. _"Put your girlfriend on a leash and get out of here!"_ he shouted at Christian's retreating form. Once the unhappy couple was gone, he turned to Anna. "Are you okay?"

Anna nodded. "I'm fine. But I think I just made a new enemy," she said as she and her companions left the ring amid a nice ovation.

~~~LITA~~~

"… OK I want a picture of the happy couple," Anna smiled as she saw Matt and Lita at the table, sharing a strawberry margarita. "That's soooo cute! I love it. Guys, look over here. Perfect!" A tiny light flashed as Anna took their picture with her brand new camera phone.

She, Matt, Lita, and a group of other talent were gathered at a popular Tucson eater called the Hi-Falutin' Grill for an engagement (Matt and Lita) and welcome (Christy Hemme, the Diva Search 2004 winner) party that Stephanie had put together on short notice. It was an open invitation for anyone on the RAW roster, and the place was packed.

" Where'd you get that?" Matt wondered, staring at the hot pink device in Anna's hand.

"Verizon. First thing I bought after I signed on here." Proudly, Anna held out her new cell phone after plunking down in the booth next to the happy couple. "Check it out, I can take pictures and record video. I can even play music on it."

Lita shook her head. "I'm lucky to be able to work my Palm," she laughed, before taking another sip of her margarita.

"That's so cute." Matt took the phone from his surrogate sister's hands and looked it up and down. "Reminds me of a restored classic car."

"It kinda does," Anna nodded, taking the phone back. "Like a '57 Chevy with the paint job all metallic and silver trim like chrome. I wanted purple, but they didn't have it in that color. The pink was my second choice. And here's my ringtone." Anna pressed a button and the phone played "Click Click Boom" by Saliva.

"Nice." Matt paused, and his expression grew rather serious. "So, what's this I heard about you embarrassing Trish backstage?"

"Yeah," nodded Lita. "You dumped a soda pop on her head before her match tonight with Nidia."

Anna tried to look innocent but failed epically. "You got me. But where did you hear this?"

"Nidia herself."

"Trish called Matt a loser who hides behind women to win his matches," Anna explained.

Matt stared at Anna in disbelief. "That's not true!"

"Of course it's not! That's why I hit her with the soda pop. I was defending your honor."

"That's why you have to be the bigger person and ignore her," Lita tried to advise the little blonde.

Anna fired back, "If I do that, she'll keep bugging me."

"But if you do more of what you did to her tonight, it's only gonna escalate. She'll rib the living hell out of you."

Matt sighed. "You know what Jeff and I have done in the past to prank each other, right?" Anna nodded. "It's a helluva lot worse here. Anna, I'm just saying this as a friend, OK? Don't antagonize Trish. She's not worth it."

"And you may wanna leave Christian alone, too," added Lita. "He and Trish deserve each other."

Anna huffed. "OK. I'll try to stay out of Trish's way. As far as Christian goes...well, I still think he's cute, but I'll try to be more subtle." A pause. "Boy, you two are acting like I'm walking around in my underwear wearing a sign around my neck that reads SOAP."

"Well, it's not that blatant. But whenever you see him walk by, your gaze kinda lingers a bit longer than it should. Nidia, Stacy, Victoria, they all think it's cute, but you may be biting off more than you can chew. Just...just be careful, OK?"

"OK. I'll try not to be so obvious. Hey, I'm gonna test drive the record feature on my phone," Anna climbed out of the booth. "Call me when you guys are ready to go."

"Have fun."

"See ya!" Anna walked off with a smile. Under her breath, though, she muttered. "Killjoy."

When she was safely out of earshot, Matt turned back to his fiancée. "You think she listened to anything we said?"

"Not really," Lita admitted. "She'll probably end up curled up in a hotel room with a pint of Haagen-Dazs watching _Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood_ on DVD. And I or another one of the Diva's will be consoling her."

"Poor girl. She seems to be attracted to the unattainable. Either gay or taken."

The conversation was interrupted with the arrival of another. "Hi, guys."

"Hey, Victoria," Matt smiled politely.

"May I borrow your fiancée for a minute?"

"Sure. Don't get into trouble," Matt said, kissing Lita on the cheek.

Victoria and Lita wove their way through the crowd and into the women's rest room. Once inside, Victoria checked to see that nobody was in the stalls before she asked gently, "Are you okay?"

Lita cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

Victoria sighed. "It's not obvious to everyone, but you seem kinda preoccupied. I mean, you look happy enough about you and Matt getting married, but I can tell that there's something else bothering you."

Lita furrowed her brow and tried to think back. "I guess I'm kinda overwhelmed by having to plan my wedding so quickly. Stephanie wants to make it a televised affair. She even has a wedding planner in mind to help us out, but there's still so much to do. I have to get a dress, the flowers, the invites…I don't know where to begin."

"I'm sure that's some of it. But it's not entirely that." Victoria pressed her lips into a thin line. "I know we're friends, though not as close as you and Stacy and Anna or any of the other girls. But I've known you long enough to know when you have something bothering you."

Lita nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Let's go outside. I don't feel comfortable talking in here."

"Sure." The two divas slipped out of the restaurant through a back exit, and they looked for someplace comfortable to sit down. There was a patio table and two chairs that looked deserted out on the restaurant's deck, and they seated themselves.

"Okay," Victoria said, once they both sat down. "Spill."

"Vic, I don't think I've made enough peace yet with everything that's happened to me."

"Made peace? Lita, you don't have to marry Kane anymore. He's off the roster. He'll never bother you or Matt again. Matt made sure of it at Unforgiven. Now you guys can move on and have your Happily Ever After. Wasn't that what you two wanted?"

"Of course it is! It's just…"

"It's just _what?"_ Victoria realized that she was raising her voice and she managed to dial it down. She took one of Lita's hands in hers and was surprised at how cold it was. "Come on, Lita. Talk to me. What's wrong?"

Lita managed to nod. Victoria, she decided, was the appropriate person to confide in. She wasn't as emotionally invested in the situation as Anna or Stacy or Matt was, so she could be more impartial. Stacy could provide a good ear, and so could Anna, but whatever advice they could provide would be biased by their dislike for the Big Red Machine. And Matt would just as soon kill Kane as look at him.

"Remember the freakout I had in the ring when Matt proposed to me after Unforgiven?"

"How could I not? You just about gave everyone a heart attack that night."

"I feel like I owe Kane something."

Victoria stared at the redhead like she'd just spoken in Arabic. "Owe Kane something? Hon, you don't owe him anything. Especially after what he's done to you."

"Victoria, I don't think you understand. I don't want to marry Kane; thank God I don't have to. It's something that he said right after the match, as he was being escorted out of the ring." Lita pressed her lips into a tight line before she spoke again. "He said, I just wanted a family. I just wanted someone to love me. Why'd you have to hurt me? I didn't think anything of it at the time, but then I just started thinking about it later that night, after we left the arena. I couldn't get the words out of my head."

Victoria nodded, understanding.

"Then the night Matt proposed to me, I flashed back to when Kane interrupted and announced that I'd slept with him. It looked like I was having cold feet, but in actuality I was reliving that moment."

The Women's Champion gasped softly and looked at her friend with compassion. "Oh, Lita. I'm sorry."

"Then, that night, I had this nightmare. I was walking down the aisle to marry Matt. And instead of Matt parting my veil, it was Kane in his god-awful white tux. Gail, Jazz, and Molly were the bridesmaids. And Trish was my maid of honor, and she was wearing that slutty white lace thing and telling me to open my legs and everything'll be fine." Lita didn't realize that she was crying until Victoria handed her a napkin to dab her eyes with.

Victoria nodded. "I guess that's enough reason to be preoccupied."

Lita threw her head in her hands. "What am I gonna do? If I don't deal with this Kane situation, I will never be able to move past it."

"Maybe you just answered your own question," smirked Victoria.

Lita pondered for a moment. "You know, maybe I just did. I am gonna have to make peace with Kane. As much as I loathe and despise him, I at least owe him an explanation. Perhaps an apology." A pause. "Hey, uhmmm…if anyone asks—"

"We never had this conversation. I won't say a word."

Lita flashed a small smile of relief. "Thanks. Thanks for listening to me."

"Anytime." Victoria stood up, Lita following suit. "I'm gonna go find Christy and congratulate her. You gonna be okay?"

"I'll be fine. I'm gonna head back inside in a bit." Lita gave the Women's Champion a hug. "Thanks again."

"Sure."

Sighing, Lita waited until Victoria had gone back inside the restaurant before she sat back down at the table. "Here goes. Matt, I hope you'll forgive me." Quietly, she opened up her cell phone and dialed a number. Three rings. "Teddy. Hey, it's Lita, how are you. Thanks. Uhmm, I know this is an odd question, but is Kane still traveling with the Smackdown roster…?"

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Well, it looks like Anna's made herself a really big enemy tonight. This story is winding down, but I may be picking up pretty soon with the follow up, and Anna's gonna find herself entangled with Trish, Christian, and (maybe) Tyson Tomko. BTW, the picture Anna took of Matt and Lita was inspired by a picture of them sharing what looked like a margarita. And speaking of phones, Anna's new phone looks just like one that I had once upon a time, an LG VX8300.**

**The remark about Haagen Dazs and Ya Ya Sisterhood was inspired by Chris Jericho's Highlight Reel segment with Kane from 2005.**

**If anyone is interested in seeing what some of the things that are being described in this story look like, I'm putting together a Photobucket account that has all of it listed. I'll send you the links privately since we can't put any outside links up right now.**

**The translation of Nidia's tirade is, "Hey! What the hell are you doing, messing with my buddy like that? What did she ever do to you? Go pick on someone else! Pick on me! Want to fight? Hey, look! Look at me! You want to fight me! Come and fight me, I'll give you a fight, bitch! Just like this!"**

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	17. Chapter 17

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: It hasn't been an easy week for me. My dad passed away on April 1st, and I went back to Missouri to pay my respects. Oddly, I've felt quite creative these past few days. I guess for me, writing is therapeutic.**

**Anyway, this is the chapter that explains why Kane did what he did. Some of this chapter was inspired by the stories **_**Blame**_** and **_**Bad Decision**_** by Sockospice. Hopefully I don't get dinged for stealing dialog, so I apologize in advance if it upsets anyone. I just liked how Lita's thoughts and Kane's motivations were explained, and I think Socko hit the nail on the head with all the reasons.**

**The next chapter's gonna be more table setting for the next story. After I finish with this one, I'll take some time off to put the new one together. Who knows, I may get inspired once more and put some new stories up before the follow up to this one!**

_**Chapter Seventeen**_

After a brief phone conversation with Teddy Long (who informed her that Kane was traveling with the Smackdown roster and was in his hotel room), Lita made as graceful an exit from the party as possible and caught the next available flight from Tucson to Phoenix. If she timed it right, Lita figured that she'd get to Phoenix, talk to Kane, and be back in Tucson before anyone missed her. She hated being so secretive, but she wanted to take care of her issues with the Big Red Machine before she lost her nerve.

As she walked down the hall to Kane's hotel room, Lita felt her hands begin to shake. Making a fist, she glanced at her engagement ring and reminded herself that she was doing this for herself and Matt and their future together. The trembling quieted down somewhat, and Lita soldiered on to the end of the hall.

Kane's door was closed, and Lita could hear a TV in the room, and she could see lights under the door. A sigh escaped her. "Here goes nothing," she said to herself as she knocked briskly on the hotel room door.

Kane, who had been lying on one of the beds (there were two in the room) watching TV, got up to answer. A puzzled look crossed his face as he gazed down at his late-night visitor. "Lita."

"Kane," Lita answered back, her voice cold. She held up her hand with the engagement ring on it. Her words were short and simple. "We need to talk. Let me in."

Kane stepped back to let Lita enter the room. Silently, she sat down on one of the beds and watched Kane as he turned off the TV. He looked far less intimidating than he did when he first began to torment Lita. Dressed in a black t-shirt and faded lounge pants, he looked...almost normal.

"I'm surprised that you would show up here," he rumbled quietly. "What makes you think that I won't try and hurt you again, like I did at the wedding-"

"Save it, Kane!" Lita snapped, her voice icy. Kane fell silent as he glanced down at Lita's ring.

"So you and Matt are finally together," he managed, as he paced the room, his voice flat and almost monotonous. "I guess you're here to gloat, is that it? You're gonna get married, probably start a family of your own, and have a nice, happy life. And me?" He snorted. "I guess I'm gonna take some time off, get my head straight. Teddy suggested it. He didn't demand it because he knew I'd chokeslam him through a wall if he did. And when I come back to Smackdown, Teddy will find something for me to do to keep me relevant, I guess."

Lita shook her head in disgust. "Look, Kane. This is the only conversation I want to have with you about this. I came out here to give you an explanation and try to make some kind of peace with you. If I don't then I can't move on, and this ordeal between you and me will haunt me and Matt for the rest of our lives."

"You deserve a miserable life, as far as I'm concerned," Kane sneered.

Lita glared at the Big Red Machine. "Why do you have to be such a bastard, Kane?"

"And why did you have to be such a bitch in front of a worldwide audience?" Kane fired back.

"You had to have your precious wedding on TV to show to the world just how big and scary and powerful you were!" Lita snapped, getting right into Kane's face.

"And you had to eviscerate me on live television!"

Lita refused to back down. _"You hurt me!"_

_"OH, YOU RIPPED MY HEART OUT!" _Kane bellowed.

An excruciating silence passed as Kane and Lita stared angrily at each other.

It was Lita who spoke first. "I was angry and hurt, Kane! Matt and I were happy before you barged in and decided to make me your property! You wanted to use me to carry your seed and bring your offspring into the world!"

Kane crossed the room and stared out the window. The sky was clear and black and filled with stars that glittered like diamonds. "You lost the _baby."_ Kane said, quietly seething. _"Our baby!_ And you didn't have the decency to tell me, so I guess we're even."

He turned back to Lita, who had sat back down on the bed. "Look, Lita. There's no good guy or bad guy in this mess. You want an apology from me? No! I won't give you one. You want to apologize to me? I don't expect one from you, but fine! Go ahead! Apologize. But even if you did, it won't take away any of the vicious, nasty things you said to me."

"I didn't come here to apologize," Lita snarled. "And you _deserved _every vicious, nasty thing I said!"

"THEN WHY ARE YOU HERE?" Kane's tirade was interrupted by an angry pounding at the door." Kane stomped over and flung it open. "WHAT?!" The unidentified hotel guest, terrified by the seven-foot-tall mass of seething, raging humanity in the doorway, cowered and slunk away with a barely audible apology.

Kane slammed the door shut and turned back to Lita, who sat nervously on the bed, staring at her shoes, and wringing her hands. When he spoke again, it was much softer. "Why, Lita? Why did you have to hurt me?"

Lita pressed her lips into a tight line. "After the match at Unforgiven. You said all you wanted was a family and someone to love you. Did you mean what you said? And I don't want to hear an answer from the Big Red Machine or the Devil's favorite demon. I want to hear it from _you. The man. _Did you mean what you said at Unforgiven?"

Kane glanced out the window. "For all these months, everyone assumed that all you were to me was a womb, and that I hated the baby as much as everyone thought I hated you. That I wanted the baby so that I could bring it up to hate the world like I did and make it into a bitter and twisted _mini-me. _And that's the problem. Everyone _assumed._ They _all_ assumed."

"You didn't give anyone a reason to think otherwise."

Kane turned his attention back to Lita, his voice slightly irritated. "You gonna interrupt me, or will you let me answer your question?" Lita nodded and fell silent.

"You know, when there's nothing to do between matches and house shows, and you're cooped up in your hotel room, you find things to keep you busy," Kane explained. "I like to watch TV. Discovery, TLC, that kind of stuff.

"There was this documentary on TLC the other night." Lita nodded again. "This one girl explained why she was trying to be a mother at the age of fifteen. She said her homelife was hell. Abuse, drugs…I won't go into it all. But she said that she felt worthless. Unloved. She said that if she could become a mom and take care of and raise a baby, she'd feel like she'd accomplished something good. She'd give her baby everything she didn't get from her own family. And her baby would be loved and be capable of giving it back. She'd be loved and respected and wanted unconditionally by her baby. She wanted unconditional love, and she was trying to find that in her baby. Do you know what I'm trying to tell you?"

Lita let the impact of Kane's words sink in. "I think so."

Kane sighed, his voice turning wistful. "I just wanted someone to love me. I wanted a family. A wife and child. A family I could love and be loved by. I know it would be weird and strange—me with a family—but I would have made it work. _We_ could have made it work. I would have laid my life down for our baby. I'd have done anything I could for our baby. Let him or her know that they were safe and loved and wanted.

"And Lita, I know you didn't love me, and you probably never would. But you would have been a good mom. You would have fought to the death for our child. I loved our baby, Lita. And I know you did, too. We both loved that baby, and I would have taken good care of you both. I'd have done my best to be a good father. I'd have done anything for you, Lita. Given you everything you wanted. I would have given you the moon on a silk pillow if you'd asked me for it." He paused. "But you never gave me a fucking chance."

Lita felt her face flush red as she stared down at the carpet. Like everyone else, she'd only seen the surface and assumed the worst. That Kane wanted to bring a child into the world so that he could twist and warp it into a mirror image of himself, and create someone as hurt and damaged as he was. She'd never imagined that he wanted what everyone else took for granted; a family with a wife and child that he could love and nurture and protect. He wanted to be a father and give his child the things he'd never had and raise him to be everything that he wasn't.

Lita closed her eyes so that Kane could not see her expression of shame. Kane was not like everyone else, that was a given. But was it right to deny him the privilege of being a husband and father just because he was different? All he'd wanted was to be loved and accepted, like anyone else. He'd just gone about it completely wrong. _How could I have assumed like everyone else? _she thought, feeling guilty and embarrassed. _How could I have been so selfish?_ Of course, none of that would change anything now, but Lita was beginning to see Kane in a much different light.

She swallowed the lump that had grown in her throat and did what she had not planned to do. She apologized. "I'm…I'm sorry."

"Of course you're sorry after the fact," Kane snorted. "But you made assumptions, just like everyone else."

Lita lifted her head. "Kane, it's not like I made a conscious decision to not tell you about the miscarriage. I was exhausted. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. I needed to rest and take care of myself before I could deal with you. I had every intention of telling you, and unfortunately, you wound up hearing it from someone else."

Kane fired right back, his voice sounding genuinely hurt. "But you didn't call me when you were rushed to the hospital. You called Matt! _I _should have been there for you. NOT him!"

"How was I to know that you wouldn't be angry with _me_ for losing the baby?" Lita tried to explain. "If I knew then what I know now, _you_ would have been the first person I called! But I can't go back and change that!"

Kane let out a growl and smacked the wall in frustration. He wasn't angry with Lita, but he was angry over the situation and the countless assumptions that had been made.

Lita got the courage to get up off the bed and approach the frustrated giant. "Kane," she said softly. "We can't go back and change the past. But you can change the present, and you can change your future."

Kane shook his head. "Those are empty words, Lita."

"Kane, if you are so desperate to find someone to love you, you don't go about it with anger and violence. And if you do find someone you want to spend the rest of your life with, you don't need to threaten them."

"You don't think I realize that now?"

Lita didn't know how to answer that question, so she asked him another. "Not that it'll make any difference now, but why did you choose me? What was so special about me that made you decide to try and possess me? And I don't wanna hear any bulls**t about how I'd fight you and you'd have fun breaking my spirit. I want _the truth."_

Now Kane was the one who sat down on the bed. "You talk like I've never loved anyone before you entered the picture. I am capable of loving someone. I know what it feels like to lose someone you love, too. Tori was the closest example, but you weren't around to remember that relationship.

"Do you remember a couple years back? When you were out recovering from your neck surgery? That storyline that everyone despised? It was the storyline where Triple-H decided to accuse me of vehicular homicide and necrophilia. None of what he said was true. He just embellished and exaggerated the truth so he could push his career. It was like he and the creative team decided to take something tragic out of my past and turn it into a joke."

Lita nodded. "Katie Vick."

For a full minute, Kane was silent, as he reached within himself to find the courage to bare his soul. Finally, he began. "She was a friend of mine. You see, Katie and I were next door neighbors. Back when I first started wrestling. In fact, she came to my first match, and she was probably the only one that cared when I was getting beat up. I cared about her, too. Katie's dad treated me like the son he never had. And her mom was nice enough to invite me over for dinner, and she and Katie even went so far as to clean up my place while I was out of town training. I guess you could say that Katie was my first real girlfriend."

"Did you love her?"

Kane smiled slightly. "I think I did."

"Was she pretty?"

Kane nodded. "She was a cheerleader at the local high school. She had blonde curls and big green eyes, like a cat. Her smile just lit up her entire face. And she had the prettiest laugh. But it was what was on the inside that was beautiful. She was the first person who didn't care about the scars on me, or my past. To her, it didn't matter. And that made me...that made me feel important, like someone actually cared about me.

"One night Katie went to a party that was being thrown by one of her cheerleader friends. She invited me, but I was too self-conscious at the time to let myself be seen in a crowd, so she went by herself. Katie had too much to drink, and one of the boys there tried to force himself on her. So Katie called her mom, and, because she couldn't drive because her eyesight was so bad at night, Katie's mom called me. And off I went in my truck to find Katie and drive her home.

"My truck broke down when I got to where Katie was. I was gonna try and Jerry-rig the truck so that I could start it up, but then Katie insisted that we take her car because it had a working heater. I wasn't real familiar with a stick shift. It was dark, and the road was slick 'cause it was raining. I managed to get the car moving, and off we went.

"That's when a dog jumped right out in front of us. Katie reached over to grab the steering wheel so we could avoid hitting the dog. The car swerved, went off the road, and hit a tree. I broke my arm, but Katie was, uh...Katie was killed instantly. I was devastated. But it's something that I have to live with and something I've thought about every day since.

"I knew I was never gonna find another Katie. Tori came close, but it didn't work out. I thought I'd spend the rest of my life cold and broken and lonely. And that's when I first saw you. You don't look at all like Katie, but there's so much about you that reminds me of her. You stand out because of what you are on the inside. You're strong, and you're passionate, and you have this spark that draws everyone to you. You don't care about what other people think or say about you. You just do what you do, and you're happy. Doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. And that's why I picked you."

Lita nodded. The fact that she reminded Kane of someone he'd loved very much gave her an odd measure of comfort. "You must have really cared deeply about her. She sounds like she was a really special girl."

"You would have liked her. You probably would have been real good friends. I guess I was so desperate to keep you because you reminded me so much of Katie, that I just bullied you so that you'd have no choice but to let me have you."

Kane paused; the confession had left him drained, and he had to take a moment to collect himself. "Y'know, I told you that I wasn't gonna apologize to you for what I did. But I think Katie would be spinning in her grave right now watching all of this. And she'd want nothing to do with me if I didn't move on and make some kind of peace with everything that's happened between you and me and Matt. So, the only thing that I have left to say is what I said to Katie's parents at her funeral…I'm sorry."

Lita sighed. "I guess I'm sorry too, for a lot of things, like that'll make any difference now. We both did stupid things. I guess the only thing we can do now is put everything to rest and move on, and have as good a life as we can."

"Easy for you to say."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. I'm sure you'll have a good life. Maybe not the one you hoped you have, but maybe it'll be a happy one all the same." Lita gazed down thoughtfully, and then held out a hand. "So...we have a truce?"

Kane gazed up and then took Lita's hand gently in his. "Yeah. We have a truce," he answered, squeezing Lita's hand softly. A moment later, he let go. When he spoke to Lita again, his voice was soft, and almost friendly. "For what it's worth...have a good life."

Lita nodded and headed for the door. At the last moment, she turned around. Kane sat quietly on the foot of his bed, his head down once more.

"Kane?"

He glanced up and saw the tears in Lita's eyes. Her voice was thick with emotion. "Thank you."

And with those words, Lita walked out into the hall, closing the door gently behind her.

~~~LITA~~~

When Lita returned to Tucson and walked through the jetway early the next morning, she was stunned by who was waiting for her at the terminal._ "Matt?"_

Matt approached his fiancée and put his hands on her shoulders. "Lita, I know where you went. I went out on the deck and heard you on the phone calling Teddy Long last night." A pause. When Matt spoke again, his voice was gentle, with no accusation. "You went to see Kane, didn't you?"

Lita nodded, her face flushed. "I had to make peace with him. I…didn't want to say anything to you, because I knew you'd wanna kill him for what he did to us. If I didn't talk to him, I knew I'd never get past everything. I want so much to make this work, and I owed it to myself and to you, and our future." She glanced down. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything, it's just that—"

Matt tipped up Lita's chin gently and silenced his fiancée with a kiss. "It's okay. I know why you did it."

"It's over, Matty. Kane's never gonna hurt us again," Lita sighed, snuggling gratefully into her husband-to-be's arms.

They stayed there for a while, until Matt gently broke the embrace. "We have a travel day, and we don't have to be on the plane until this evening. Anna has a spa day with Nidia, so she'll catch up with us later. I don't know about you, but I'm bone tired, and I could use a little sleep."

Lita leaned against Matt's shoulder as they both headed outside. "I think that's a good idea…"

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I think the end of this chapter reminds me of a bottle of soda pop that you've opened. Bubbly and fizzy and full of energy in the beginning, flat at the end. Please let me know if it sucked or not.**

**BTW, the Katie Vick description, death, etc. was from the story **_**Girl Next Door **_**by Kung Fuu. Great story, and it fleshed out Kane, Katie, and the Vick's in a realistic and believable way. It's a story that's worth checking out!:)**

**I also wanted to give a shout out to Bob Wright, who writes stories from the Golden Age of the WWF. If you like old school, check his work out. You won't be disappointed:) u/473823/Bob_Wright**

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


	18. Chapter 18

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I think this is going to be the last chapter for _Untitled Lita Story. _This story may be over, but the next one will pick up right where this one left off. As far as when it's gonna be published, well...I think I may take a few days off to put the story in order so I can publish it more quickly. And the title's gonna be *drumroll* …._Untitled Wedding Story! _Somehow, it fits.**

**BTW, I can't say enough good things about ff dot net author Bob Wright. If you are a fan of the Golden Age of the WWF, check his work out. You won't be disappointed:) u/473823/Bob_Wright**

**Anyway, we're at the 9/27/04 RAW for this chapter.**

_**Chapter Eighteen**_

"I have a really nice trip planned for us," Matt explained to Lita as they walked backstage. "Private suite, bubble bath, nice big bed, strawberries, champagne. The whole bit."

Lita purred as she laid her head on Matt's chest. Their trip to the UK was going to be fantastic, she just knew it. "I can't wait." She paused. "But how are you paying for all of it?"

Matt's eyes twinkled. "I got a raise. Stephanie says that there's a championship with my name on it. I'm gonna be chasing a certain creepy little bastard for it."

"Congratulations!" Lita's smile was genuine.

The happy couple walked past Trish and Tyson, who were lazing around in a doorway. Trish sneered at Matt and Lita, and gestured towards them with her chin. "Hey! Look, Tyson." she said. "Not even married, and they're already acting like a regular married couple."

"Yeah," Tyson laughed. "He's even taking out the trash!" The Problem Solver laughed at his own joke, and Trish joined in.

Matt glanced back at Trish and her buddy and then turned to his fiancée. "Can you excuse me for a second, Babe?"

Lita nodded. "Sure."

Matt was right in front of Tyson in two strides. Angrily, he grabbed the Problem Solver by the front of his shirt and shoved him hard up against the doorjamb.

Trish shouted and jumped out of the way. "Hey! What the hell?"

Matt locked eyes with Tyson. "Don't you dare talk about my woman like that!" he snarled. "You take that back!"

"Make me!" Tyson sneered.

Matt shoved Tyson up against the door a little harder. "TAKE IT BACK!"

Tyson fired back with "NO! 'Cuz your fiancée IS trash!"

That did it! Matt slugged Tyson hard enough to break the skin on one his knuckles. The Problem Solver clutched his jaw and staggered back, but he didn't completely fall. Stunned, Tyson glanced up just in time to Matt rush him and knock him to the floor with a massive spear. Before he knew it, Matt was on top of him, raining blows down on him, as he tried to defend himself.

"DON'T YOU CALL HER TRASH! I'LL KICK YOUR ASS—HEY!"

Shrieking like a wildcat, Trish pounced on Matt and tried to yank him off of Tyson, which resulted in Lita storming in to grab Trish by her shirt and sling her across the room. It soon became a Pier-6 brawl, with all four of them shouting at and tearing into each other.

_"My fiancee is not trash!"_

_"No she ain't! She's a loser and so are you!"_

_"You worthless, piece of trash gutter slut!"_

_"You smarmy, fake loser tramp! I'll tear you limb from limb!"_

_"ALL RIGHT! BREAK IT UP!"_

The four of them glanced up, red-faced (from exertion), at an equally red-faced (with anger) Christian, who stood in the door with his fists clenched and his brow furrowed. He glared down at Lita and Matt, who were slowly climbing to their feet. "_You guys! Get the fuck out of here!"_

Matt jerked his thumb at Tyson. "He started it!"

"Yeah?" Tyson snapped back. "Well you hit me!"

"You called my fiancée trash!"

_"I don't give a flying fuck who started what!"_ shouted Christian as he smacked the doorsill in disgust. _"All of you get out of here!" _Trish, Tyson, Matt and Lita all filed out with almost identical hangdog looks on their faces. With an angry huff, Christian followed Trish and Tyson.

Anna was just leaving Hair & Makeup when she saw Trish and Tyson slink down the hall like a couple of kids who just got in trouble for breaking a window. She stepped back to let them pass, and they walked by without even looking at her. Christian, with his brow furrowed and his jaw clenched in anger, brought up the rear. He glanced in Anna's direction, and their eyes met for a second before he followed them down the hall.

Anna scratched her head thinking, _Was I seeing things? Or did he just mouth the word sorry to me?_

~~~LITA~~~

_Later, in the locker room..._

"I think I can use these to put together a wedding video," Anna said as she sat on a bench in the face divas' locker room. She was going to escort Matt and Lita to the ring for Matt's match against Val Venis (the Matt Fact picked for the match, _Matt and Lita's wedding registry is at Walmart,_ was quite amusing). To kill time, she was playing with her new phone and checking out the video clips she'd recorded. "Nidia, check these out."

Nidia plunked down on the bench next to Anna and viewed the clips that Anna recorded. Many of them were very sweet well-wishes, and they decided to keep those. Some of the shots were very funny and candid, and the two girls laughed at the videotaped antics.

"Jericho—we're keeping that one!" Anna pointed at the shot of Y2J. "That was really sweet. Look—oh how funny! I gave him the phone for a minute, and now he thinks he's James Cameron."

_"I can direct videos?_ What the hell?" Nidia giggled. _"Pout, Christy! Pout!"_ Anna joined in on the mirth.

When the two girls finished giggling, Anna climbed off the bench. "I'm worried about her," she said, referring to Christy, who had been announced as the Diva Search winner last week. "I know Trish is gonna do something to her. That 'welcome' party she's planning is nothing but a hazing."

_The Coach delayed the big announcement last week to thank the fans for participating in the Diva Search, and added that regardless of who wins, all the contestants should be proud. Before he was able to announce the winner, Stephanie McMahon's "Superstar" music played, and the GM of RAW headed to the ring. After she was properly introduced, Coach tried again to announce the winner, but there was another interruption. This time it was Trish Stratus._

_The Queen Bee of the locker room joked that Christie could buy herself some decaf, or Carmella could buy herself a personality. She then added that she was throwing the Diva Search winner a victory party, and that attendance was mandatory._

_Finally, Coach got to the announcement, naming Christy Hemme as the $500,000 Diva Search winner. Christy thanked the fans for choosing her, saying that she didn't need decaf. "I'm ALL NATURAL!" she shouted, amid shouts and cheers. Stephanie congratulated her newest diva and she, Christy and the coach left the ring._

Nidia shrugged and glanced over Anna's shoulder. "I tried to warn her, but she insists on going out there. Nothing we can do about that now." She paused, and her expression became puzzled. "Hey, what's this?"

"What's what?"

"On the screen, right there," Nidia pointed out. "Can you put that on pause?"

"Sure." Anna studied the footage and goggled at what was on the screen. "Holy crap! Is that what I think it is?" She looked more closely and shook her head. "That _is_ what I think it is! I thought the camera was off, I must have turned it back on by accident!" She pressed a few buttons and shut her phone. "I think I'm gonna keep that footage. Just in case."

Nidia nodded. "So, did you talk to Stephanie?"

Anna shrugged. "Yeah. She took me aside before tonight's show. Said I need to watch my back and not provoke Trish, because Trish will find any reason to put me on her bad side."

"Speaking of Trish, has she tried to start anything else with you?"

Anna shook her head. "No, and that kinda worries me. So I've made sure to check to make sure I have all my stuff when I'm in the arena, when I'm at the hotels, whatever. I've become kinda hyper-vigilant as of late, which isn't a bad thing, but I don't like feeling like I constantly have to look over my shoulder."

"Maybe she decided to back off because you're not an actual diva. "

"Maybe."

Nidia paused. "So, are you going to the UK with us?"

"Naah. I'm going back to North Carolina so I can get a head start on the wedding plans. Stephanie gave the phone numbers to some really good planners in the area. I'm gonna meet with them."

"Cool. When's the big day?"

Anna grinned. "December 20. I'm one of the bridesmaids. Which reminds me…" Anna climbed off the bench. "Nidia, would you like to be a bridesmaid at Matt and Lita's wedding?"

Nidia smiled. "Oh, that's sweet. I'd love to!"

"Cool. That's one less thing to worry about. So far, you, Victoria, and I are gonna be bridesmaids. Stacy is the maid of honor."

Nidia looked humble. "I'm honored that you guys would ask me."

"You, Stacy, and Victoria where there when Lita needed you," Anna explained as she gave Nidia a hug. "It seemed like the right thing to do." She shoved her phone into her pants pocket. "Hey, I gotta get going. I have phone calls to make, plans to start, and an opponent to antagonize. I'll call you later and give you all the details."

"OK. Have fun."

"Thanks. See ya'!" Anna pushed open the door and walked out into the hallway. No sooner did she step out than she got blasted in the face with a big cloud of cold powder. "HEY!"

Anna shouted in surprise and coughed and waved her hands to fan the cloud away from her face. Glancing up, she saw Trish on her right, as she dropped a small fire extinguisher on the floor and busted up laughing.

"Payback's a bitch, Sweetheart!"

"TRISH!" Furiously, Anna lunged at Trish, who shoved her little nemesis up against the locker room doorway and threw Nidia (who'd come out to see what the commotion was all about) a glance loaded with darts.

"Payback for what you did to me last week," hissed Trish, the humor gone from her voice.

"You deserved it!" Anna fired right back. "Look at me! I'm a mess! And I have a spot tonight!"

"And you think I care?" snorted Trish, narrowing her eyes and baring her teeth. "Look, Sweetie. I'll warn you just once. Don't screw around with me. I can do a helluva lot worse to you. I can do things to make your life utterly miserable. So consider yourself lucky that a fire extinguisher to the face is all you got from me!" And with those words, Trish turned on her heel and stomped off.

Nidia cautiously ventured out of the locker room. "You OK?"

Anna nodded. "Yeah. I'll have to wash up quick and go back to hair and makeup. You think Jan can pull a rush job?" As she and Nidia headed back to Hair & Makeup, she glanced down at her pants pocket, where her cell phone was.

A little smirk creased her lips.

~~~LITA~~~

Jan, the makeup artist, had indeed pulled a successful rush job, and Anna was suitably coiffed and painted up to accompany her surrogate big brother and sister. Matt's match against Val Venis had gone well. Afterwards, Matt had grabbed the microphone from announcer Lillian Garcia and announced his intentions to chase Christian for his Intercontinental Title.

"I'm gonna clear off the desktop!" he'd said. "There's a certain creepy little bastard who has his mitts on a certain championship belt that should belong to me. So Christian, you'd better not watch your back. You'd better look straight ahead, 'cause I'm coming at you head on!"

Later, Anna and Victoria were in catering enjoying a late dinner. "Vic, I have a hypothetical question for you," Anna said, nibbling on her dinner, a large slice of pizza. Anna had an odd way of eating pizza. She would scrape the toppings off and eat them first. Then, she would roll the crust up and eat it like an eggroll.

Victoria finished her bite of salad. "Sure."

"Hope I don't confuse you, so here goes," Anna said, as she rolled up her scraped-off crust. "Suppose you're acquaintances with a guy who everyone thinks is a jerk. And you know that he has a girlfriend and a best buddy."

Victoria nodded. "Okay."

"Anyway, let's say that you caught the girlfriend and the buddy in a compromising position. Would you tell the jerk?"

Victoria contemplated for a moment. "Well, it depends on if I was able to back up my story and if I was willing to take the heat. If I didn't have proof, I'd keep my mouth shut, because I don't want to be accused of spreading a lie. But if I can back up the story, then yeah. Doesn't matter if the guy's a jerk. If his girlfriend's doing something she shouldn't, then he needs to know about it.

Anna nodded in understanding as she scarfed down her rolled up pizza crust.

"Why do you ask?" Victoria ventured, tilting her head.

Anna licked a couple of spots of pizza sauce off her fingers and shrugged. "Just hypothetical. Hey, if anyone asks…"

Victoria finished the sentence. "We never had this conversation."

Anna smiled softly as she wiped her fingers on her napkin. "Cool." She got up from the table. "Thanks. I'm gonna get a pop. You want one?"

"Anytime. And you can get me a Diet Pepsi."

On her way to the vending machine, Anna caught a glimpse of Trish and Christian. _Talk about high-maintenance,_ Anna thought, as she moved just a little closer to the less-than-happy couple while trying to stay out of sight. _What does he see in her?_ Trish was slumped against the wall near a bank of pay phones. Her arms were wrapped herself, and she was staring down at her shoes like she had just been chastised for doing something wrong. Christian stood in front of his girlfriend with his hands on his hips and a disapproving look on his face that reminded Anna of her mom whenever she was angry or disappointed.

A few words were exchanged between Trish and Christian, and then Christian moved in to gather Trish into his arms. For some reason, it made Anna feel jealous. _What the hell!_ Anna chastised herself. Y_ou aren't his girlfriend! Why should you care? Remember what Matt and Lita told you. Stay away from Christian._

_He's a creepy little bastard!_

Anna shook her head and walked away. Glancing down at the cell phone in her pocket, she thought, _Doesn't matter if he's a creepy little bastard. He shouldn't be treated like he's being treated._

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I know this ending is kinda sucky. But I'm picking up right where this story leaves off in the next one. The sequel will be up in a few weeks. I want to try and put it together first before I get it up on ff dot net. I must admit that it feels great to finish another story, especially after the difficult few weeks I've had. I find a nice comfort and therapy in writing. Perhaps it's an escape from the rush and frustration of real life.**

**Interesting factoid about me—I used to eat pizza like Anna does! I guess I liked the bread and the tomato sauce by itself.**

**BTW, check out a very talented writer on this site. Bob Wright is the author of several stories that cover the Golden Age of the WWF. Check him out at u/473823/Bob_Wright.**

**REVIEWS = LOVE**


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